Frozen Time
by Smile-ingMoon
Summary: Kurosaki Ichigo has been selected as a potential candidate to be one of the Gotei 13. However for him to successfully attain this status, he must be trained by none other than Hitsugaya Toshiro. Whether he passes or not is anybody's guess...IchiHitsu
1. The Forced Proposal

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they are the property of Tite Kubo**

**Author's Note: Thanks to one of my friends for editing this. You're awesome for pointing out the many flaws in this piece. **

It was a quiet day within Seireitei, the streets bare without so much as a hell butterfly anywhere. All that can be seen were the white walls of Seireitei reflecting in the sunlight, standing solitary and alert. The leaders of the Gotei 13 were holding a meeting in light of the disappearances of three of their captains – Ichimaru Gin, Aizen Sōsuke, and Tōsen Kaname. The remaining ten captains were selecting candidates for their replacements to maintain the order of Soul Society, let alone Seireitei. All of Soul Society had bore witness to the escape of the three traitors and doubt and anger were playing their part within the people – active rebellions and chaos were running rampant, diseases, and destruction were spreading. Needless to say, the ten remaining captains needed help to both quell the fear of the people as well as prepare themselves for the upcoming war. Shortly after the sun rose above Sōkyoku Hill, the conference ended, and the list of the three members was finalized. Among the names of the potential candidates, one such name included a certain strawberry.

**** ****

The snow haired captain sighed as he was walking back to his office, remembering what had just occurred. The boy prodigy like two other captains was assigned one candidate each to teach. As fate would have it, he was assigned Kurosaki Ichigo, the fiery orange haired ryoka who constantly overstepped his boundaries.

'How is it possible to make Kurosaki Ichigo a captain of one of the squads in the Gotei 13? One who lacks the skills of kido, the teachings of the Spiritual Arts Academy, and most importantly the discipline and patience required of a leader. It is true that his spiritual abilities do make up for his absence of skill and order but it can go both ways, from being a powerful ally to being the worst of enemies. Why was he assigned to me?'

"Something troubling you, Hitsugaya-taichou?" asked a voice behind him, shocking the boy prodigy enough that his hand was immediately on the hilt of his zanpaktou. "You must have a lot on your mind if you had not sensed my presence behind you."

The teal eyed captain turned around to see Unohana with eyes slightly wider with concern. "No there is nothing wrong," replied Hitsugaya.

"I know that you are confused as to why you were selected to train the ryoka, Kurosaki Ichigo so that he may be a captain within the Gotei 13." When Hitsugaya did not respond she went on. "You are the ideal choice to train him with your performance as a captain and your control over your power. With your help, he will be a tremendous asset to the Gotei 13; he will learn order, discipline, and control from you. Were it another captain, myself included, we may not be able to utilize him to his full abilities." With a smile flashing across her face, she added, "Which is why I requested that he be here, he is waiting for you in your office." With a wave, she left the young captain alone.

Hitsugaya could only stare at the space that Unohana had previously inhabited, in internal shock at her "initiative" to help him with his new student. Realizing that he still had other matters to attend to, he continued his way to his office.

**** ****

Arriving at the door of his office the snow haired captain could hear muffled voices within, one being Kurosaki Ichigo. Against his moral standards he could not help but overhear the conversation between the substitute soul reaper and his fukutaichou.

"Ichigo, why are you here anyways? I don't think that taichou will be as happy as I am from your unexpected visit," asked Matsumoto, with a smile on her lips.

"I don't know myself. I was just told by Rukia that Unohana-taichou had wanted me to wait here for Tõshirõ." Hearing that, Hitsugaya couldn't help but bristle in annoyance from the casual way that Ichigo had just referenced him.

"You know, I really should tell you that you shouldn't address him like that and you should address him at Hitsugaya-taichou but it's just too funny," replied Matsumoto with a laugh. "If not, well the least you can do is calling him Tõshirõ-taichou to show at least a sign of respect. Anyways do you want to come with me, Renji, and Hisagi tonight for some drinking and fun?"

The door slid open to reveal the icy captain, his white haori billowing behind him as he strode to his desk.

"Taichou! Welcome back! How did the meeting go? And do you know why Ichigo-kun is here with us today?"

"Hey Tõshirõ," came Ichigo's voice from the couch as a head of orange hair could be seen resting on one armrest while on the other rested two feet in sandals.

"It's Hitsugaya-taichou," retorted the young captain as he sat behind his desk. "Kurosaki get off of the couch and come to the desk, you too Matsumoto."

With an audible sigh, the orange haired youth leapt to his feet off of the couch and followed behind Matsumoto to stand in front of the desk. As Ichigo stood, he noticed how Hitsugaya was staring at him intently with his teal eyes slightly narrowed.

"It has come to the attention of the Gotei 13 that the three captains need to be replaced immediately. With this in mind, you Kurosaki Ichigo have been chosen to be one of the three captains." Ignoring their gasps of surprises he continued on, "However, in order for you to fully ascend to that post you have been assigned to be trained by me. Should you fail you will not become a captain. For the time being, you will be residing within the tenth division until preparations can be made to get accustomed to how life works here in Seireitei."

"Taichou, where will he be staying? Will he be staying with me in the lieutenant quarters?" inquired Matsumoto as she thought of late nights of drinking and more fun now that Ichigo would be able to join her little group.

"No Matsumoto, he will be staying in my quarters under my supervision so that he will know the demands of captains when an emergency occurs."

'Oh well no having fun with Ichigo and my drinking group, but maybe he will be able to help taichou open up more,' mused Matsumoto as her previous thoughts were shot down and this new hope arose.

This hope like her previous one was shot down as neither of the two realized that Ichigo had yet spoken.

"No," stated Ichigo as his eyes narrowed and stare into Hitsugaya's teal eyes. "I will not become a captain within the Gotei 13, I can't be part of a group that almost executed Rukia and destroyed the Quincies."

The two males began to stare each other down, each trying to submit the other to his will, while Matsumoto only stared between the two, trying to see who would break first. Although Hitsugaya was reluctant to train Ichigo at first, he was determined not to fail. While the two of them continued to combat one another, there was a light knock on the door frame, interrupting the rising tension and the rising reiatsu between the two. On the other side of the door frame, standing in the corridor was none other than Unohana.

"Is there a problem here?" she asked, as she walked into the office and smiled at the three of them.

"There isn't a problem here, I was heading back to Senkaimon to return back to the real world," replied Ichigo , making his way to the door his black shinigami uniform billowing behind him, with eyes narrowed, and hands clenched. Hitsugaya remained speechless, too angry to restrain him from leaving.

Stopping Ichigo from leaving by taking a hold of the sleeve of his black kosode, she asks, "I take it that Hitsugaya-taichou has informed you of the decision of the Gotei 13 to make you a captain…but why are you in such anger? Is it because you hold us responsible for what has happened to your friends, namely Kuchiki-san?"

Ichigo stayed silent but he wouldn't raise his eyes to meet those of Unohana. He continued to stare downwards while she continued. "Although I cannot defend what we have done, it is not something that can be undone. What we must now do is to focus on the future and the upcoming war, to protect those that we still can, and to not fight amongst ourselves. Also Kurosaki-san, I _really insist_ that you stay within Seireitei and become one of the Gotei 13." A shadow passed across her face as she said this, causing all three within the office to shudder and huddle against one another. "Is that to be understood?" When Ichigo nodded, the shadow left her face and she smiled at the three of them once more. "Hitsugaya-taichou, please do not let us down." With that said, she used shunpo and left the three shinigami to themselves.

"Well you heard Unohana-taichou, you're going to be staying with us Ichigo," cried Matsumoto as her hope was built anew. A hell butterfly flew in from the corridor, telling her something that only built her hope more. "Ichigo, Unohana-taichou forgot to mention that if you decide to leave all of a sudden, she will hunt you down in the Human World and bring you back here."


	2. Introductions and Order

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters; they are the rightful property of Tite Kubo. **

**Author's Note: Thanks again to same friend who edited this before I uploaded it =D. You are totally awesome and you have wonderful English skills. Also thanks to the people who have added this story to their favourites, your support is greatly appreciated =D. Hope I don't fail you guys with this chapter.**

Unable to restrain herself any longer, Matsumoto laughed at the apparent fear that was on Ichigo's face while Hitsugaya could not prevent a small grin from spreading on his face. Grinning to himself, he wondered if he wasn't making a mistake by agreeing to train Ichigo. The orange haired shinigami glared into the eyes of the young captain as though he was aware that Hitsugaya was thinking about him at that exact moment.

"So where do we go now?" asked Ichigo, interrupting Matsumoto's laughter," Since I'm stuck here anyways."

"You will be shown where you will be staying for the time being. Matsumoto send a hell butterfly to Kuchiki Rukia, so that she may inform his family members of his disappearance and report here afterwards," ordered Hitsugaya, while Matsomoto made her way out of the office. Placing his left hand on to wall of his office, he focused his reiatsu into a fine point and stabbed the four corners of the wall. The wall fell down like curtains cut from their banister, each overlapping one another until the wall faded away, revealing a circular sliding door. Ichigo had been following the young captain's actions, and was shocked that he hadn't felt anything from the wall at all.

The two of them stepped beyond the sliding doors on to the tatami mats on the other side. Within the room was a long corridor surrounded by sliding doors with the 10th Division's insignia emblazoned on each of them. The door closed behind them, leaving them only one option which was to walk down the corridor. After walking for several minutes, the young captain stopped and turned to one of the sliding doors abruptly, causing Ichigo to lose his footing and stumble, falling on the young captain – and breaking the sliding door in the process. A string of angry words resulted from this followed by Ichigo getting off of the now blushing captain. Ichigo got up and looked forward to see another sliding door; it would appear that they had entertained the lobby of wherever Hitsugaya was leading them. The sliding door in front of them opened when Hitsugaya focused his reiatsu to push against the door.

Beyond the door revealed square windowless room with white tatami mats and white walls covered by patterns of ice flakes, clear glass vases of differing colours of daffodils stood on white metal stands in each corner, and like the office, another desk and couch. On the three walls, there were other sliding doors. Following Hitsugaya across the room, Ichigo could see that stacks of paper that had been plaguing the young captain, who had opened the sliding door across from the lobby. Together they passed through the door, like the first room, glasses of daffodils were in each corner. However in the middle of this room lay a big white futon with a big pillow – each more than big enough for the small captain.

Looking at Ichigo, Hitsugaya commented, "For the time being this will serve as your room."

"But where is your room then?"

"This is my room."

"Then where will you be sleeping?"

"Here."

"What?! We'll be sleeping in the same room and in the same bed?!"

Although he was blushing, the young captain responded, "Do not make such a big fuss, it is only until a second futon can be brought in. If you prefer otherwise you can sleep on the floor." Losing his blush, he scoffed at Ichigo.

"Why are there vases of daffodils here? Isn't that a little too feminine for you?" asked Ichigo, smirking with his eyes.

At once, Hitsugaya's face flushed red again but not because of embarrassment, this time it was because of anger. His eyes narrowed and sparked, flashing from teal to ice blue. "Daffodils are a representation of the 10th Division within Seireitei!" As he said this, the temperature in the room fell down considerably.

"No need to get your captain's uniform in a ruffle -" was all Ichigo could manage, before he sneezed and sniffled. "I was just asking…if that's the case, what do they represent? And why doesn't the water in the glass vases freezes from your freezing reiatsu?"

"The daffodils represent the mystery within the 10th Division -"

"Kinda like you isn't it?" interjected Ichigo, staring at the back of the young captain.

"- as well as egoism. The water does not freeze because the vases are made with **Sekkiseki**that has been modified to look like glass." Although he pretended that he hadn't heard Ichigo's comment about him , the room went colder still.

"At least you're not egotistic," said Ichigo before he sneezed again.

Hitsugaya walked past the big futon to a white sliding door that had been previously unseen by Ichigo. From it he pulled out a white arm badge similar to the armbands of lieutenants but it was completely bare without any distinguishing marks, he held it towards Ichigo.

"This will inform those who see you that you are in training to become a captain, and it will allow you access to areas restricted only to captains. However this only applies to you, with your special circumstances being born from the Human World.

Accepting it and tying it to his arm, Ichigo thanked the boy prodigy. "Thank you Tõshirõ."

"It's Hitsugaya-taichou and you're welcome," replied the small captain wearily. At this point, even he was getting weary of constantly correcting Ichigo, he knew it wasn't a simple matter of lack of respect but rather Ichigo's casualness with everyone he met.

"So what do we do now?" inquired the orange haired shinigami, as he looked around to familiarize himself with the room more.

"Matsumoto should be back in the office by now, we will be returning as well. I will show you the rest at a later time." Using shunpo the two of them disappeared from the bedroom and back into the hallway surrounded by sliding doors. As they approached the circular doors which connected the hallway to the office, it opened allowing them to exit and see Matsumoto on the other side, resting on the couch. Ichigo turned around expecting the door to still be there, but he came face to face with the "wall" he had seen moments ago. Hitsugaya was heading towards the couch, about to wake up Matsumoto before Ichigo asked:

"Why all the secrecy? Why do you have to hide where you rest?" Ichigo stared at Hitsugaya with wide brown eyes.

"Because not everyone can be trusted, as you have seen from the recent events," was the simple reply that he got back. Although Ichigo wasn't sure if it was intentional, he was happier knowing that Hitsugaya trusted him enough. Ichigo still rooted to the spot, watched as Hitsugaya woke up the sleepy Matsumoto gently by shaking her shoulders lightly, causing Ichigo to think:

'For a captain who is very serious and strict with the tasks he's given, he's a lot nicer than he appears…but why? Why does he hide his emotions behind a cold façade, shielding other people off? Even with Rangiku-san, he's still reserved and after what happened to Hinamori, he's been more distant.'

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice that Matsumoto was awake and both the fukutaichou and the young taichou were staring at him, wondering what he was up to.

'That must be why he's the captain of the 10th Division and why he's a skilled fighter because like the daffodils, he is a mystery to his opponents.'

Ichigo unknowingly had a huge grin plastered on his face, scaring both Matsumoto and Hitsugaya but being who they were; they faced their fear head on. The two of them were in front of Ichigo and before he was aware of it, Matsumoto grabbed his shoulders and shook him back and forth until he fell which was a lot harsher than Hitsugaya had done to her.

"What did you that for?!" cried Ichigo, as he pull himself up, eyes flashing, to glare at Matsumoto. She only stared at him blankly before her eyebrows snapped downwards and her lips pulled back in annoyance before she yelled loudly.

"Idiot! You were staring at us with glazed eyes and a big smile on your face! Do you know how weird that is?! We were worried that something had happened to you."

Ichigo's expression softened as that final statement hit him. "…Sorry about that," was all he could mumble before Matsumoto was behind him and gave him a pat on the back. Like a flip of a coin her personality had shifted and now she was smiling at him like nothing was wrong.

"It's okay, I know what you were thinking about to make yourself so happy." Ichigo looked at her expectantly. "You were looking at my chest, I'll forgive you this time because you are a growing into a man, but next time I will send Haineko after you."

Ichigo now crimson with embarrassment – as was Histugaya who was at his desk – shouted, "I was not!"

But Matsumoto wouldn't hear of it. "Ichigo it's okay, just don't let it happen again."

The two of them continued their bickering while Hitsugaya looked at the two of them, again wondering to himself if training Ichigo was indeed the best thing to do. But he also knew that in the times that they were in now, he would have to do what he can so that they could win the upcoming war against Aizen. He just hoped that he wouldn't regret it…

**** ****

The hell butterfly danced across the winds, weaving past the buildings of Karakura Town enjoying the air in the Human World. It continued to fly until it found its mark, in the apartment of Orihime Inoue. Rukia had moved in with Orihime so that Ichigo would no longer have to worry about her as much as he often did. She was also there to help train Orihime, after being captured by Aizen, Seireitei had ordered Rukia to watch over her and increase her spiritual power so that she could hold her own should the need arise. The two had finished training at Urahara's shop and were walking through the front door of their apartment when the hell butterfly made its move. It flew in front of Rukia and landed on her arm. Rukia to the best of her ability, translated the message to Orihime who stayed by her side ready for any attack.

"Rangiku-san says that Ichigo is in Seireitei training with Hitsugaya-taichou. She can't reveal the reason why though. She's ordering us to make up an excuse to tell the Kurosaki family so that they won't get worried about Ichigo's disappearance. She has a personal message for the two of us too 'I will be visiting for a full day on the next night of the full moon. Orihime-chan please prepare your red bean specialties, I've missed them so much. Well until then guys.'" With that the hell butterfly flew out of the apartment and flew into the sky.

"Umm Kuchiki-san, what excuse are we going to make up for Ichigo being in the Seireitei?"

"…Right…we'll think of something when we get there." With that being said, the girls went on to prepare for rest and then more training afterwards.


	3. Kidō Spells too far

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters or these incantations. They are the rightful property of Tite Kubo.**

**Author's Note: Again thanks to the wonderful friend who had edited this fanfic from the very beginning. Also big thanks to Bleach Wikia ****for their wonderful information. Thanks again to all my supporters =D.**

After staring at them for several minutes, Hitsugaya decided to use the time to finish some of the documents that he had to fill out. Documents for the supplies of 10th Division and most importantly documents for their newest addition, Ichigo. But each time he got ready to read them, he was always side tracked by their arguing; it reminded him of happier times when it was just him and Hinamori, and life in Seireitei before the arrival of the ryokas, before Aizen had turned traitor, when everything was simpler.

'But now is not the time to chase for dreams and past memories, now is the time to strengthen ourselves and succeed in fighting for a future for new dreams and new memories. This was why Kurosaki Ichigo is standing here in my office.' While thinking this, Hitsugaya was staring intently at Ichigo.

**** ****

At long last the two shinigamis stopped arguing with Matsumoto reigning victorious and Ichigo too tired to care anymore – it was also because he didn't want to reveal that he had been thinking about the young captain. Matsumoto was dancing in the room in victory, while Ichigo was resting against the couch; no one had seemed to notice that the boy prodigy was staring at the back of Ichigo's head.

"Ichigo," called the snow haired youth. "It's time for the two of us to start your training. Matsumoto, I would like you to stay here and take over my duties for now."

"Understood taichou," replied Matsumoto with a smile on her face. "Leave everything to me." She stayed in the office while Hitsugaya and Ichigo left the room.

'Hopefully they won't get into too big of a fight…but even if they do, at least they'll still be able to understand the other better.

**** ****

Hitsugaya led the way down the corridors of 10th Division, as they walked together the shinigamis they passed bowed towards the young captain while others pointed and whispered about Ichigo. If Hitsugaya had caught them whispering about the orange haired substitute, - which he did – he reprimanded them and shamed them for being so judgmental. Ichigo who tuned out most of the whispers, was still nonetheless touched by Hitsugaya's attempts to help him fit in – although he wasn't quite sure if Hitsugaya was doing this for him or for the honour of the 10th Division. After they had walked three stories down, the remaining stories were empty, it would appear that word had spread that any shinigami caught gawking at the ryoka would suffer their young captain's icy wrath. For the rest of the way they walked in silence, Hitsugaya deep in thought about how to train Ichigo, whose thoughts were on Hitsugaya and the leadership he commanded of those who followed him.

After all that walking, the two of them had finally reached the main gates of the 10th division, together they sprinted down the stone path surrounded by stone lanterns, past the walls that isolated the 10th division on to the main streets of Seireitei. From that point on Hitsugaya used shunpo with Ichigo fast on his heels, until they both arrived in the same destination. Looking around, Ichigo could only see trees abundant with green foliage, not a soul in sight, just endless yards of trees from all angles. Even the sky was enshrouded behind a cape of green leaves and brown branches; the only thing that passed through was the sunlight.

"We are now in one of the training areas, formerly used for the Spiritual Arts Academy. This place is now currently used for training lieutenants and captains, so that they may find solitude and isolate them far enough from other shinigamis to protect them from any mishaps. For today, we will be practicing kido, a skill which you lack. When you become a captain, you will need to know other means of attack than just brute force and sheer power, unless you're in the 11th Division with Zaraki-taichou."

Ichigo visibly shivered at the mention at his name, not out of fear of him but fear that he would become him. To attack without thought, a life surrounded by endless fighting, a lust to bring the end to others or have the end brought to them. That was not the life he wanted. He also could not imagine a life without hearing the Zangetsu's voice, without his guidance and teachings to help him increase his strength to protect his friends and comrades.

"For the most part, you have considerable control over your reiatsu; this will help when you use kido. Similar to how Zaraki-taichou uses his reiatsu to shield his body from damage, you need to direct your reiatsu to your hands when you cast a kido spell. For your first attempt you are to use Hado 31. Shakkahõ at these trees. They will be protected by my reiatsu so do not hold anything back. This is the incantation:

"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hado 31. Shakkahõ!"

As he said this, a glowing red orb of energy appeared in Hitsugaya's small hands until he directed it at one of the trees, successfully pushing the tree but causing it no harm. Ichigo had been paying close attention to what Hitsugaya had been doing and recited the incantation with ease but the red orb did not appear in his hands. He continued recite the incantation, however the most he could manage was a flicker of red energy. Hitsugaya kept to himself in one of the trees watching Ichigo's countless attempts. After the latest failure, Ichigo finally called to the young captain.

"Hey Tõshirõ, what am I doing wrong?"

Hitsugaya descending from the tree with a small scowl on his face replied, "It's Hitsugaya-taichou, and you are not applying enough reiatsu, you are being too conservative. Try imaging the size that you want the orb to be, and fill it completely with reiatsu." Having said this, the young captain fled back on to the same tree branch that he was previously sitting on.

Ichigo inwardly scoffed but he still tried. He closed his eyes and imagined the orb to be no bigger than the young captain's head; he could feel his reiatsu flowing from his hands into the orb that he was visualizing. He opened his eyes, and before him was the red orb, holding it, he attempted to direct it at a tree but it exploded sending him towards a tree. Fortunately for him, Hitsugaya had been prepared for him and using shunpo, managed to catch him before he hit a tree. Ichigo with the help of the young captain, stood back on to his feet, his eyes showing his determination to excel in his training.

"You need to concentrate more as you focus it into your hands, otherwise it will fight against you and do what you just experienced," cautioned Hitsugaya with a worried glance towards Ichigo. This time Hitsugaya didn't go back up a tree, he stood by Ichigo in case of another mishap.

Ichigo nodded, now that he knew the hot feeling of concentrated reiatsu in his hands, he was sure he could do it again. Once more he recited the incantation again and summoned the red orb. This time he held the red orb with an iron grasp and directed it at a tree, unfortunately it fell short of its intended goal and hit the grass instead, burning most of it away. Hitsugaya opened his mouth to say something but was stopped as Ichigo had already summoned another red orb, this time with more reiatsu. Holding the orb without any visible difficulties he shot it towards the tree once more. The red orb hit the tree with a resounding boom and left a burn mark on the tree as smoke billowed from it. Although shocked, Hitsugaya kept his blank expression on his face, while Ichigo raised his hand in triumph. Ichigo continued to practice, each shot perfect, until Hitsugaya decided to teach him both Hado 33. Sõkatsuiand Hado 4. Byakurai. These two he learned with relative ease, leaving marks on all the trees that he hit. The sun was beginning to set when Hitsugaya proposed a new target.

"Now that you can hit still targets with ease, you will have to hit a moving target as if you were in battle. For this I will be the target and I will be attacking you. You have to use the three kido spells taught to you to defeat me or to hold me off until the sun fully sets. You are not allowed to use your zanpaktou for this, not even for blocking."

Before Ichigo could protest, Hitsugaya had already unsheathed Hyourimaru in its shikai form and was behind him swinging it towards his arm. Using shunpo Ichigo was able to dodge him, but everywhere he went Hitsugaya was near him ready to attack. Unable to attack him – because he didn't want to attack an ally – Ichigo dodged him every time until Hitsugaya flew into the skies and sent ice dragons to attack him. The orange haired shinigami continued to dodge as much as he could but occasionally an ice dragon would graze him, freezing his sleeve, or leaving claw marks on him. He could only take so much, getting fed up he leapt up into the skies, right next to Hitsugaya and bombarded him with Shakkahõbut the young captain was too fast, avoiding all of them. Each time Ichigo used a separate kido spell at him, the snow haired youth evaded and retaliated without hesitation. The sunset was quickly approaching and Ichigo was covered with cuts and ice. Panting, Ichigo knew that in a real fight, it wouldn't just end when the sun went down; he would have to defeat his opponent. With that in mind, Ichigo avoided all the ice dragons from Hyourimaru using shunpo, and shot two red orbs at the teal eyed captain. Hitsugaya was able to dodge the first one but not the second one that closely followed it. It hit him in the chest a leaving a circle of smoke around the boy. By the time that the smoke had cleared and before Hitsugaya was aware of what had happened Ichigo was directly above him and shot a Sõkatsui straight down at him. Unable to block himself quick enough, the blue flames slammed Hitsugaya to the ground. Ichigo watched from above as he expected the snow haired captain to rise back up to him with another attack. However this was not the case, Ichigo descended from the skies, seeing Hitsugaya lying on the ground, motionless. Ichigo ran to the boy, and lifted him on to his feet. He couldn't see any injuries on the young captain but nonetheless he was still unconscious. He tried to shake him awake like Matsumoto had done to him, but to no avail.

"Tõshirõ! Wake up!" cried Ichigo to the young captain, however he was in a place too far away to hear him.


	4. Search for Asylum

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they belong to Tite Kubo. **

**Author's Note: Self edited so most likely is filled with countless mistakes.**

Unsure of what to do, Ichigo carried Hitsugaya on his back. He knew that Orihime could've healed him but she wasn't there and he wasn't familiar enough with Seireitei to take him to the 4th Division. Even getting to the 10th Division that morning, he had needed help. That was when he remembered about Matsumoto. Being a fukutaichou she would know how to help her taichou. With that he was off on his way back the way he came, headed straight to the 10th Division.

**** ****

When he arrived, Matsumoto was again resting on the same couch and the desk was empty of all the files it had earlier. It would appear that she had finished all that she needed and was waiting for Hitsugaya to come back.

"Rangiku-san!" yelled Ichigo, shocking the girl enough that she fell off of the couch.

"Ichigo-kun! Why did you have to wake me up?!" came her reply from the floor.

"I need help!" He turned around to show Matsumoto her unconscious captain.

"What's wrong with taichou?" asked the long haired shinigami, all anger aside.

"I don't know but can you take us to the 4th Division?"

"Of course, but wait a minute," she grabbed a big blanket from beneath the couch and covered Hitsugaya with it. "Did anyone see the two of you while you were coming here?"

"No, why does it matter? And why do you need to cover him?"

"Believe me, taichou takes this seriously, he doesn't want others to see him as weak, especially when he looks like a child."

Without anything else to say, the two of them left the 10th Division

**** ****

Hitsugaya awoke to a field of ice, one that he was accustomed to but there was a thick fog. Around him circled his zanpaktou, Hyourimaru, its dragon form glistening and sparkling lightly against the fog. Turning around, he could see nothing but the great dragon spirit's body; his head was nowhere in sight.

"Hitsugaya, what is wrong?" came Hyourimaru's voice from above the fog. Through the fog, the only things that could be made out were his red eyes.

"There is nothing wrong, Hyourimaru, why are we here?" questioned the young captain, looking upward in the thickest part of the fog.

"You are denying it. I know that something is amidst and causing you stress and anxiety. That is why you were so easily beaten by that substitute shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo. You are distracted, your spirit is too spread out, unable to fight or protect with certainty. When the time comes for you to face Aizen and his army, you will lose so long as you keep this bottled up inside of you. This is why we here, to talk to one another."

The snow haired boy looked downwards but he could not deny this. Only Hyourimaru could understand the inner turmoil he was facing, from the betrayal of Aizen, a fellow captain he had trusted and the mental breakdown of his oldest friend Hinamori. His zanpaktou was right; he was torn between his determination to defeat Aizen and his duty as a shinigami and as a friend to protect Seireitei and more importantly Hinamori. Along with that he felt guilty, guilty that he hadn't been able to spare his childhood friend from the pain that she had been dealt. He couldn't help her no matter how hard or persistently he had tried, she was too far away in her grief, he was helpless and he knew it. The only thing he could do was prepare himself to defeat Aizen but even that he couldn't do.

"This is your own personal battle I can't help you until you let me. You are like your friend, Hinarmori both too far and too distant to help or to be helped. You are a very independent person but even the most independent of people still need at least one person for them to lean on. For you, I'm not that person at least not in this matter, for you that person is very close to you right now." With that being said, Hyourimaru unfurled his wings and flew into the fog above him. "I will still watch over you, protect you, and aid you when you need me, but until the time is right I will leave you alone to your thoughts to give you solitude."

Hitsugaya although sad at this revelation, mentally thanked the dragon for his understanding. Left alone to dwell on his matters, Hitsugaya embraced the calm that surrounded him. But that calm wasn't meant to last, steps could be heard breaking his train of thought. Shocked, the young captain looked around in search of the noise, until he could see a faint outline of a person emerging from the fog. The person was taller than he was and was running towards him, he unsheathed Hyourimaru, ready for any attack. Steeling himself against the intruder, he crouched down and raised his zanpaktou in front of him. The figure was quickly approaching and with it came a familiar voice.

"Tõshirõ!"

The young captain, teal eyes wide, nearly fell over in surprise hearing the voice of the substitute shinigami. The figure was breaking through the layer of fog, and with it came a gust of wind that blew the fog away. The wind felt warm to the snow haired boy, it was inviting and gentle different from the frigidness of the fog and the isolation that it had brought with it. With each step, the fog lightened and the figure came closer. When the fog was blown away completely, the figure was standing before him, and it was Kurosaki Ichigo.

Flashing a smile at the smaller boy, the orange haired shinigami held out a hand to him before saying, "Tõshirõ, it's time to wake up."

**** ****

With a jolt, the captain of the 10th division woke up with wide eyes, taking in everything that was around him. He was on a bed – far too soft for him – pushed against a wall in a white room with vases of bell flowers and a 4th Division insignia on the wall behind him. On the wall to his right, there was a simple white door. On the bed that he was on, near his knee there was someone else with his head resting on the bed while the rest of him was on a chair next to the bed. Pulling the blankets on him aside, Hitsugaya woke up Ichigo.

"You're finally awake, Tõshirõ. How are you feeling?" asked Ichigo with his eyes following every little action the young captain made, worried that he might hurt himself.

"It's Hitsugaya-taichou, and why are we here?"

"You are here because you required medical assistance Hitsugaya-taichou," came a voice from beyond the door. "Kurosaki-san and Matsumoto-san were nice enough to bring you in." In walked the captain of the 4th Division, Retsu Unohana with her white haori flapping softly behind her.

"Unohana-taichou," greeted the young patient, "But why am I here?"

"During training with Kurosaki-san, after he used Hado 33. Sõkatsui on you, you were on the ground unconscious. " Seeing Ichigo nod, he knew it was true. Unohana looked at him, eyes soft with concern before rising up slightly to stare at him directly. "But that is not the main reason, from the analysis it says that you have a lot of built up tension and stress, resulting in your body shutting down. That is not unexpected with the recent events; you like the other captains and the other shinigamis are full of doubt, never too sure where the next attack could come from. However, unlike the others you have been personally affected from your close tie with Hinamori-san." When Hitsugaya avoided her eyes by looking behind her, she knew she was right. With a sigh, she continued, "This is something only you can fix, like myself, I have devoted more of my time for flower arrangement and for finding herbs that can aid in medicine." When she heard Ichigo lightly scoff, she turned to him and asked very politely, "Is there something about flower arranging that you do not like Kurosaki Ichigo?"

"No, nothing at all," was the small reply she got back.

"Good, I would hate to think that anyone would look down on flower arranging when it is an art that requires talent and grace, especially when I applied those same traits moments ago to heal you. Wouldn't you agree Kurosaki Ichigo?" Still facing him with a smile, her stature only seemed to grow and tower over the orange haired boy.

"Yes, I do." This was followed by a long silence while Unohana continued to smile politely at Ichigo as Hitsugaya was contemplating the words of Hyourimaru and the other captain before him.

"Taichou, are you okay?" Matsumoto had entered the room in a hurry, her scarf flying behind her while she rushed to hold Hitsugaya by the shoulders. Seeing that he was okay enough to be awake, she hugged him tightly. "Okay now that taichou is well, I can celebrate, where is the sake?!"

This comment brought everyone out of their thoughts causing Unohana and Ichigo to laugh with Matsumoto while Hitsugaya smiled softy to himself, hidden from the others. He knew that his problem wasn't over but it was times like this, when he could pretend they never existed. Although he didn't want to disturb the happiness before him, he still had to ask,

"Unohana-taichou, how did I get here?"

At these words, the good times came to end and every one turned to stare at the young man. Aside from Unohana, Matsumoto and Ichigo mirrored the fear that was on the other's face, their smiles of laughter, frozen and dead on their face.


	5. Reawakening and Reversal

**Disclaimer: These characters and settings do not belong to me, they are the rightful property of Tite Kubo**

Both shinigamis couldn't move at all, they knew that they would eventually have to answer the young captain. The young patient stared at the two of them, searching with his eyes to see who would speak up. When it became apparent that neither of them was willing to answer him, his eyes narrowed and hardened, flashed towards Matsumoto.

"Tell me what happened," he ordered, the room instantly froze, causing the two shinigamis to be able to see their breath. The only person other than Hitsugaya who seem unaffected was Unohana who still wore a smile on her face, as though nothing was wrong.

"…Well taichou, you managed to get here all thanks to Ichigo-kun -," started Matsumoto before she was interrupted by Ichigo choking slightly at the mention of his name. "In fact taichou, Ichigo-kun will be able happy to tell you himself." While she was saying this, she had managed to push Ichigo forward, closer to the side of the bed, closer to where Hitsugaya's arm and Hyourimaru were. As much as Ichigo would love nothing more than to go away, he knew that if he left, he would only incriminate himself causing the young captain to hunt him down with a vengeance. Fists held tightly and eyes casted downward, he decided that Hitsugaya had the right to know.

"When you fell unconscious, I didn't know what to do. I didn't know where the 4th Division was and I didn't know how to help you…so with you on my back, I ran back to your office, where Matsumoto was taking a nap and she brought me here, after throwing a blanket on top of you."

The silence that followed after was tangible in the air, surrounding Ichigo's throat, wrapping itself tightly around the boy. The room warmed up slightly before Ichigo forced himself to look at the young captain. The snow haired boy was staring down at his bed, when he asked,

"Did anyone see you when you were carrying me?"

"Not that I know of, I wasn't really aware of who was staring."

The silence continued once more before it was broken by Unohana.

"If I may Hitsugaya-taichou, that while you were unconscious the pair of them prevented anybody from coming in to care for you, other than myself and Isane. No one in the 4th Division other than myself and my fukutaichou, can say that they saw you here. I'm not sure if anyone saw you outside however I really do not think that is the case. Matsumoto-san was outside by our gates, ready to stop anyone from visiting you if the need arose; just as Kurosaki-san was sitting by your side, ensuring that anyone who opened the door would have to deal with him before he allowed them to see you. The two of them have been standing alert from the moment you came, from the sunset to now with the waning moon directly above us. That reminds me, Kurosaki-san you will need to take these pills, one before you sleep tonight and the other when you wake up tomorrow morning."

Matsumoto had moved closer to the bed to stand solemnly next to Ichigo during Unohana's speech, while the young captain raised his eyes towards the medical captain, asking with only his eyes if he needed to take some medicine as well.

"Hitsugaya-taichou, you have no need for medicine, you are fully healed and ready to go. It would appear that your reiatsu was protecting you during your sleep, enough so that it lowered the temperature to affect both Isane and Kurosaki-san. Isane is currently resting in her quarters with a cold, while Kurosaki-san who had refused to leave your side, had evidently fallen into a cold-induced sleep not long ago." Turning to address Ichigo, she continued, "These two pills are to heal the marks on your back, Kurosaki-san and they are just a precaution so that there will not be any ill effects later on, however whether they will be enough to repair what harm Hitsugaya-taichou's reiatsu has done to you is unclear." With that being said, she handed to Ichigo two round tablets, each as big as his thumb with a design of a skull on top of them. "Remember one in the evening before you sleep, and the other after you wake up tomorrow." Having repeated her instructions, she left the room, leaving the three shinigamis to themselves.

The young captain was already up and following after his fellow captain out of the room, however unlike her, he was making his way swiftly back to the streets of Seireitei. Matsumoto hastily grabbed the blanket she had used to cover her taichou and ran after him with Ichigo following in the rear. During their walk, Hitsugaya was always too far for them to engage in conversation so the two talked amongst themselves, unaware that the snow haired child was preoccupied with his own thoughts.

'I was so cold and distant towards him. Even though I was unconsciously hurting him, he still stayed beside me while I was asleep, hiding me in my weak state from the others.'

With that thought echoing in his mind, he knew he couldn't face Ichigo. He knew that he didn't deserve to after the way he had only cared about himself when he had learned that the orange haired shinigami had carried him on his back to make sure he was alright. He also noticed now in retrospect, that Ichigo himself had suffered some injuries during his training but he still carried the young captain the entire time. His face cast downwards, to stare at the stone path before him, Hitsugaya continued onwards in his melancholy.

"Hey Ichigo-kun, do you think taichou is okay?" asked Matsumoto still carrying the big blanket in front of her.

"I don't know Rangiku-san. You should know him better than me, what do you think?" retorted Ichigo, stating the obvious, while they both looked at the back of the small captain.

"I think that something is bothering him, something new, not just the incidents with Aizen and Hinamori. Maybe you can ask him tonight."

"Huh? Why me?" asked Ichigo, eyes wide in surprise.

"Well you are sleeping together aren't you?" teased Matsumoto while she skipped ahead of Ichigo, ending the conversation with that thought. Ichigo flushed a deep crimson, but in the dark no one could see that.

The three of them arrived at the 10th Division in silence, no one else was awake and most of the candle lights were extinguished. Matsumoto bade them a good night as she was making her way back to her quarters, leaving Ichigo with the blanket she had carried. Hitsugaya continued to distance himself from Ichigo, always a flight of stairs ahead of Ichigo regardless of how quickly he tried to join the young captain. Hitsugaya was readying his reiatsu to stab the four points in the "wall" when Ichigo threw the blanket over his head, and threw him on to the couch. In the darkness Hitsugaya could only make out Ichigo's orange hair, he couldn't see the frown that was on his face.

"What did you do that for Kurosaki?" asked Hitsugaya, eyes flashing towards the shadowy face surrounded by orange hair.

"What's wrong? Why are you ignoring me? I thought we were on the same side." Although Ichigo's face was covered in shadows, his eyes were narrowed and face scrunched up slightly in anger. Hitsugaya could hear the anger coming from his voice as it became coarser.

"I was not ignoring you," he replied avoiding Ichigo's eyes, piercing the wall with his reiatsu, and jumping to his feet, straightening his haori. "Kurosaki, I am sorry," he mumbled, refusing to look up at Ichigo as the wall began to fade away next to them.

"Sorry I wasn't listening, I was watching the wall disappear again," replied the orange haired shinigami.

Fortunately for Hitsugaya they were both wrapped in shadows, preventing Ichigo from seeing the deep blush that was on his face. "I am sorry."

"What? For what? Why are you sorry?"

"I am sorry that you had to carry me when you were injured, and that my reiatsu was hurting you while you were carrying me." The young captain continued to look downwards, afraid to meet Ichigo's eyes.

Ichigo put his hand on Hitsugaya's hair and ruffled it softly, while guiding the two of them towards the door, forgetting the blanket. "Tõshirõ, you don't need to apologize for being on guard. This is what makes you a strong leader to those around you."

Hitsugaya didn't reject Ichigo's touch or tried to correct him this time but instead let a silence grow between them before he removed Ichigo's hand with his. Looking up at him, he could see from the light given off by the hidden corridor that Ichigo was smiling down at him. Seeing that, he gave Ichigo a small smile himself, not a happy smile, mysterious and distant but a smile nonetheless. Together they walked back down the corridor towards the inner office, with Ichigo looking for the sliding door he had broken. Hitsugaya stopped again suddenly but this time Ichigo didn't fall on him, when the sliding door in front of them and the sliding door behind that one opened to reveal the other office.

"How did this happen? Didn't we break the sliding door before?"

"This area contains many spiritual particles which allow this area and the people in it to recover faster. This will assist you when you are resting tonight. That is also why the room is so bright because the rooms use the spirit particles as a light source."

"Hey Tõshirõ, can you show me where the bathroom is? We both still didn't clean up after our practice."

The two of them went through the door on the left wall of the inner office, revealing a small room with a white cupboard, a toilet, a sink, a mirror, and another sliding door. Beyond that sliding door was a natural pond surrounded by rocks with a waterfall cascading into the pond further back. Ichigo could feel the heat and the steam coming from the pond that was bigger than his bedroom. On the out skirts of the pond, on the other side there appeared to be a little sauna house.

"Wow, how is this possible?" He asked the young captain with wide eyes.

The snow haired shinigami stared back up at Ichigo with slightly wide eyes. "Everyone has this, however only captains and lieutenants have private ones for their uses, the others share the ones in each of their Divisions. The water is constantly filtered and purified so you do not have to be worried about it. You will be cleaning up first while I will be working on the sheets on my desk. Call me if you need anything and towels are in the cupboard." Without waiting for Ichigo to protest, he left the room and closed the sliding door behind.

Ichigo had wanted to suggest that HItsugaya would be the one to go first, but seeing him leave, he hastily removed his shinigami garment and dived into the pond. Hissing quietly from the feel of the hot water on the injuries on his back, he submerged his entire body.

HItsugaya was working in his private office, trying to distance himself from orange haired shinigami.

'Why was Kurosaki there when I was with Hyourimaru? Why did I wake up when he told me to? Who is Kurosaki Ichigo to me? He is just a substitute shinigami from the Human World, a rebel if anything, he does not abide the laws of Seireitei nor does he know them. He is just an orange haired young man with incredible skill and power. That is all he is an ally and nothing more…then why is he in my mind?'

These questions rose and fell within the young captain's mind, distracting him from the many documents that were still present on his desk. Each question, each about Ichigo fought to stand dominate in Hitsugaya's head, each wanting to be answered. These questions came to a halt and fell into the bottom of his mind when he heard a shout.

"Hey Tõshirõ!" came Ichigo's voice from the sliding door.

"It's Hitsugaya-taichou, and what is it?" The boy shook his head; he didn't know when Ichigo was going to call him by his title.

"I don't have any clothes to change into!"

Hearing that, Hitsugaya knew that they were in trouble.

"Kuchiki-san so what do we do now?" Orihime asked, after hearing the ring going through the house.

"What do you mean Orihime?" replied Rukia, with her finger on the doorbell of the Kurosaki Clinic.

"What do we tell them about Ichigo? What if they're not home, the clinic is closed and there doesn't seem to be a light inside."

"We'll them what we rehearsed, and if they're not there, we'll wait." Together the two of them stood in front of the door waiting for someone to answer.

"But we didn't rehearse anything." This was followed by a long silence while the girls hoped that no one would come to the door, unfortunately the windows curtains on one of the windows above fluttered, meaning that someone was up there.


	6. Aftermath and Foreshadowing

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they are the property of Tite Kubo**

**Author's Note: I thought I posted this up. Sorry for the long wait, with school this took a backseat unfortunately. I will continue to try to create and upload more chapters. Again this is IchiHitsu **

"What is the matter Hitsugaya-taichou?" Asked a figure wrapped in the shadows of the 10th Division as he followed the young captain into his office. The figure carried with him a small object around his arms which rustled without rest as the pair made their way into Hitsugaya's personal office, after the white haired captain removed the wall that hid his quarters. "Why do you need my Spiritual Arts Academy uniform?"

Without turning back or slowing down, Hitsugaya beckoned for the uniform in Hisagi's arms which he then threw into the room that Ichigo had been staying in. A long silence rested between the two as Hitsugaya was evidently waiting for something while Hisagi was wrapped in confusion over what had transpired and why he felt a familiar reiatsu beyond the door where his uniform was thrown into. Both eyes were fixed onto the doors, each unsure of what lay before them when the doors began to slide apart revealing Ichigo with damp orange hair, clad in Hisagi's former uniform with Zangetsu on his back. The uniform was a nice fit, as though it was meant to be worn by Ichigo.

"Thank you Hisagi-san, sorry for not telling you sooner," was the only remark from the young captain, as he made his way into the room that Ichigo had just left.

Understanding bloomed within the 9th Division lieutenant's head as he made the connection between the use of his uniform, Ichigo's damp hair, and the absence of Ichigo's regular uniform. But that was not the only thing within his mind; he was also watching Ichigo's every move. He had long since admired the substitute shinigami, not only because of his power, skill, and natural abilities but mainly because he reminded him of his former captain, Kaname Tōsen. Before his betrayal, his former captain and Ichigo had shared many morals that Hisagi still held; honour, loyalty to friends and fellow shinigamis, and the sense of duty that they owed to those who needed them. Seeing Ichigo he was reminded of the defection of his captain, when his thoughts were broken by a simple remark.

"Hey Hisagi-san, thanks for loaning me your uniform." Ichigo had a broad smile on his face as he walked towards Hisagi.

Although he was initially unaware that such a loan had already been made, Hisagi nonetheless responded, "It is no problem Kurosaki-san. What are you doing here in Seireitei?" His eyes narrowed he searched for answers on Ichigo's face. As much as he admired the orange haired youth before him, he still didn't know him well enough to fully trust him especially when he wasn't notified of Ichigo's presence in Seireitei particularly during these turbulent times.

Ichigo stared at him with blank eyes, unsure of why he didn't know the reason for his being in Seireitei. "I'm training to become one of the captains of the Gotei 13, not that I really want to though." Sighing Ichigo sat down on the couch in Hitsugaya's inner office.

"Why don't you want to become a captain? It is a great honour."

"Because…I don't know how to be one…and I have better things to do in Karakura Town."

Ready to bristle the brown eyed youth, Hisagi stopped himself when he saw the expression on Ichigo's face. His face was relaxed, and his eyes were looking off into a place that Hisagi could not see.

'He's stronger than many of the shinigami here and he has fought more for Seireitei than any other but he is different from us. He's alive, and he has his whole life waiting for him, his life isn't over and he's only a shinigami today because he wanted to protect his friends and family.'

Unknown to both Hisagi and Ichigo, Hitsugaya shared the same thought as he was eavesdropping on the pair from behind the door as he bathed. His blues eyes were down casted as he heard the truth from Ichigo. Gathering his clothes he prepared to interrupt the two when the conversation restarted anew.

"But that doesn't mean that I will give up, I will protect the people of Karakura Town and Seireitei even if I have to become a captain." Ichigo, grinned at Hisagi, his brown eyes bright with determination and loyalty to those who needed him. Hisagi stared back at the orange haired shinigami, his mouth slightly agape; astounded by the dedication Ichigo had to his friends and too many others who once attacked him for being a ryoka.

"Kurosaki-san, I think you would be a great captain." Hisagi looked down, his black bangs hiding his eyes as he was reminded of his former captain yet again.

That was when the young captain walked through the sliding doors his shinigami uniform fluttering behind him, effectively ending the conversation between the two. Unlike Ichigo, his hair wasn't damp but it was clear from his polished skin that he was bathed. "Hisagi-san, I think it is time for the three of us to rest for the night. We all have a busy day tomorrow especially with your new duties. Would it be alright for the Kurosaki-san to borrow more of your clothes?"

Hisagi snapped to attention, "Yes, Hitsugaya-taichou."

"Thanks Hisagi-san, I will show you out. Kurosaki, eat the medicine that Unohana-taichou prescribed to you." Hitsugaya's ice blue eyes flashed briefly at Ichigo to ensure that he would do as he was told. When he saw Ichigo reaching for the pills that he had placed inside of Hisagi's uniform after his bath, he glanced back towards Hisagi. The two of them walked past Hitsugaya's lobby into the inner corridor while the door opened before them. "Hisagi, what is Kurosaki Ichigo to you?" There was a slight chill in the air which didn't go by unnoticed by the taller of the two. Although Hitsugaya walked with grace, elegance, ease, and with a relaxed face, Hisagi could feel the stiffness coming from the smaller boy.

"An ally, Hitsugaya-taichou." Hisagi wasn't going to reveal to the young captain about what he thought about Ichigo.

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

They left the conversation at that and the pair walked to the 10th Division's office in silence. Hisagi was leaving the office when he heard Hitsugaya's comment coming from behind him.

"Remember Hisagi, he isn't Tosen so don't treat him as such."

This comment pierced through Hisagi's solitary façade, causing him to whip around only to see the sliding doors being covered by the rising wall. The dark haired shinigami turned back before he used shunpo to return back to his division, and to hide from the truth that he heard from Hitsugaya's voice. Each time he thought back to Ichigo he was reminded of his former captain. Throwing himself on to his bed he made a promise to himself, that the next time he saw Ichigo he would do his utmost to get to know Ichigo so that he would no longer confuse him with Tosen.

Hitsugaya walked slowly back towards his private office where Ichigo was waiting for him, his blue eyes not betraying the millions of thoughts that were spinning around in his head. He didn't know what had came over him when he was speaking with the lieutenant of the 9th Division but he did know that he didn't want Ichigo to be treated as anyone but himself. Approaching the door of his lobby, he expected to see the orange haired shinigami to be sitting on the couch waiting for him, but this expectation was unfounded. The couch lay barren; the only visible proof that someone had previously sat on the couch was the slight indent in the middle of it. A little surprised, the young captain locked on to Ichigo's reiatsu which emanated through the door that lead to his bed room. Following it, the snow haired shinigami arrived at the foot of his bed, looking downwards to see two soft brown eyes staring straight up at him.

"Did you take your medicine?"

Ichigo sighed, "I did…that's why I'm so tired."

"Then go to sleep."

"But what about you?"

"…"

The silence stretched between the two, until the pair of brown eyes were hidden away by fatigue and medicated sleep. Placing Hyourimaru in the side of the bed like Ichigo had done with Zangetsu, Hitsugaya dimmed the lights coming from the flower vases. Silently he covered Ichigo with a blanket and crept beside Ichigo in the bed but not before noticing the irregularities on Ichigo's back. Even with Hisagi's former uniform on, it was still easy to see the amount of damage that he had done to Ichigo while he had been unconscious, he could see that parts of Ichigo's back were slightly bruised and swollen. Feeling guilt once more, Hitsugaya crept further away from Ichigo in the hopes that should he lose control in his sleep, he wouldn't harm Ichigo again. His last thoughts before sleep had taken him were on Unohana's medicine and how much hope he placed into them to heal Ichigo.

Hitsugaya was pulled from his sleep back into the frozen tundra where he had been previously with Hyourimaru, but this time was different from the last…he was alone, at least for the moment. The wind howled in his ear, and the cold seeped into his skin but this was unnoticed by the young captain as he once again heard the sound of steps running towards him again. He could make out a faint outline in the mists before him as he had done before and like before the figure was taller than him, with a head of orange hair. As the figure got closer, he could see that it was wearing a black shinigami uniform with a huge sword attached to its back: it was Ichigo, just like last time. Seeing him, Hitsugaya began to run towards him, intent on reaching him. The pair was almost face to face when the young captain slowed down and stood still waiting for Ichigo to run up to him like last time. He could make out every detail of his face, the determined smile that reached his eyes and the way his eyes lit up towards him. Though this time Ichigo didn't stop, he ran through the snow haired youth, leaving a trail of ice and snow behind him. The moment Ichigo ran through him, he felt as though he was slashed through with a blade of solid ice, he could feel the ice crystals forming in his body pushing his cells apart and destroying them in the process. He was frozen in place as the figure that was his salvation previously, was the result of the pain that fell before him now. His blue eyes were wide with shock when the pungent smell of freshly spilled blood seeped into his nose; startled he whipped his head backwards to see Ichigo face down in a pool of blood. Try as he might, he couldn't move, the only thing he could do was feel the scene being burned in his mind when a voice broke through:

"Toshiro," came Ichigo's voice weakly.

The snow haired captain could hear the effort that it took for Ichigo to say his name, he could hear the deep pants coming from Ichigo as he struggled to breath against the blood around him. But that was all he could do…absolutely nothing else. Ichigo's cries for him continued until they grew fainter and fainter and then the silence stretched between them. The orange haired shinigami faded away as the snow covered him and dashed away the smell of his blood, as though he didn't exist, but Hitsugaya couldn't shake the image from his head or the pain he felt. Enraged and desperate to reach Ichigo, Hitsugaya released his full reiatsu only to be thrust back into reality.

The snow haired captain woke up in a sweat, his uniform sticking closely to his skin. Gasping for air he pulled himself up into a sitting position, and looked to his right to meet with brown eyes that were half covered by heavy eye lids.

"Toshiro…what's wrong?" asked Ichigo, his voice deep with sleep

"Nothing's wrong and it's Histugaya-taichou." As he said this, he avoided Ichigo's eyes he didn't want to reveal anything about his dream to him.

Ichigo yawned. "Okay Toshiro, just tell me when you're ready." After ruffling Hitsugaya's snow white hair, Ichigo went back to sleep.

Hitsugaya felt better after Ichigo ran his hand through his hair. He wasn't sure exactly why, but he knew that it proved his dream wrong, it reminded him that Ichigo was there, breathing and living right next to him. With that revelation in his head, Hitsugaya leaned back into a sleeping position and closed his eyes, as he focused his breathing pattern to match that of Ichigo's. Minutes passed, and the two shinigamis were asleep, each one with a serene expression on his face.

**Review if you'd like, it's always fun for me to read them. **


	7. The Morning After

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they are the property of Tite Kubo**

The sun was just rising when the young captain woke up as was expected from all members of the Gotei 13. Within his mind, he was already carefully planning out his day - such as meeting up with Matsumoto to discuss training lessons for the new shinigamis that were placed into the 10th Division, arranging supplies to be set out for each squad within the 10th Division -. All these thoughts were cut short when Hitsugaya noticed the head of orange hair abruptly close to him. As he stared at the substitute shinigami beside him, he was reminded of the dream that passed not long ago. Averting his gaze from Ichigo, he picked up Hyourimaru and went to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

Unlike the day before, the natural pond glowed light blue while a cloudy mist hovered over the surface. To Hitsugaya this was normal; the pond was simply purifying itself from the night before. Breaking the calm surface of the pond, the snow haired captain submerged himself into the inviting waters. Cleansing himself beneath the falls, his mind drifted to the predicament that was Ichigo; he had chosen not to wake the substitute shinigami, he knew that he wouldn't be able to. The medicine that Ichigo had taken the night before were only to be used with patients with extreme injuries; they required the taker to be asleep so that they may absorb a substantial amount of reiatsu. Thinking about Ichigo's injuries reminded him of what Ichigo had said to him the night before, remembering the compliment Hitsugaya smiled softly to his reflection. Getting up from the pond, he made up his mind that when Ichigo woke up, he would be more diligent in showing Ichigo other aspects of being a captain, since it was clear that Seireitei required someone of his power.

Leaving his bathroom with his captain uniform sailing behind him, he walked silently back into the bedroom. He didn't know why he was going back to check up on Ichigo. It wasn't possible for Ichigo to be awake yet, it took more than a single night for most shinigamis to recover from the attack of a captain. But he felt compelled to, if not to see Ichigo awake then to at least see him sleeping soundly. Lost in his thoughts, his eyes glancing into the distance, he wasn't prepared for Ichigo – still clad in Hisagi's former uniform- sitting wide awake, cross-legged, and staring at him as he walked in. The shock of Ichigo's sudden awakening didn't show on Hitsugaya's face, but his hand was placed on top of Hyourimaru's hilt.

"Hey Tõshirõ, how did you rest?"

"Hey." The snow haired captain was too surprised to correct Ichigo and to answer his question. "How are your injuries?"

"They are completely healed. My back is back to normal." Rising to his feet, Ichigo picked up Zangetsu and approached the young captain. "What are we doing today?"

"Go get cleaned up, your shinigami uniform has already been laid out for you in the washroom. Today, we're meeting up with Matsumoto and Hisagi."

"Thanks Tõshirõ, we're not training today?"

"It's Hitsugaya-taichou. No for today, you're going to see the other responsibilities of a captain."

Getting off of the futon, Ichigo walked past Hitsugaya with Zangetsu on his back. Before leaving the room completely, the orange haired youth ruffled the young captain's slightly damp hair and smiled down against Hitsugaya's glare.

The 10th Division shinigamis were awake and busy, as they prepared for their upcoming day. Whether they were training or patrolling the districts around Seireitei or getting ready to depart to the Living World, each shinigami was busy with their tasks. Every shinigami from the 10th Division worked hard and diligently in the steps of their captain, who spent most of his time helping Seireitei and Soul Society. Waiting for Ichigo had delayed Hitsugaya's usual descent from this office, as such Matsumoto took over the helm to lead the 10th Division shinigamis in their daily routines.

"Take these containers to the storehouse in the back. Use Bakudō 63. Sajo Sabaku to seal them from opening."

"You three, deliver these reports to Kuchiki-taichou!"

Hitsugaya had still not descended from this office, this gave Matsumoto cause for concern – it was possible that neither her captain nor Ichigo had fully recovered from their injuries from Kidō training. Answering questions and requests as she ascended the stairs to Hitsugaya's office, it took Matsumoto a long time to get to her destination. When she arrived at the office, she could see that neither her captain nor Ichigo was present. The desk was untouched except for the neatly piled stack of documents that awaited the signature and insignia of the 10th Division captain. The couch was untouched, no creases at all and the wall appeared unchanged. Matsumoto stood still, wondering the exact whereabouts of her companions – it wasn't possible for her captain to have left the 10th Division without passing down any orders. She sat down on the couch, her head resting on her arm on the armrest – it was possible that her captain and Ichigo were still in Hitsugaya's quarters, which would explain why she couldn't feel their reiatsu, the other explanation would be that they left her behind to go the Living World. She didn't have much time to ponder as the wall in front of her began to fold in on itself, revealing the sliding door.

The door steadily slid open as the wall began to fade away. When the door completely opened the young snow haired captain strode out with Ichigo following behind him.

"Good morning taichou, good morning Ichigo-kun," greeted the 10th Division lieutenant captain jumping to her feet as her captain moved to his desk. She and Ichigo moved in front of the desk awaiting any orders that the young captain would give out.

"Good morning Matsumoto." "Good morning Rangiku-san."

"Taichou, what will we be doing today?"

"Today, Matsumoto you will be joining us while I show Ichigo what the responsibilities of a captain are." Spreading the stack of paper on to his desk, Hitsugaya had been reading over each one of them while addressing Matsumoto.

"Understood taichou, but what of the 10th Division?"

"They will continue their daily assigned routines. I have already passed down orders to the seated members."

A Hell Butterfly fluttered into the room, flying swiftly towards Matsumoto. Balancing the butterfly on her fingers, she relayed the message that it carried.

" 'Hitsugaya-taichou, if you are able to, I would like you to show Ichigo around Seireitei in particularly the Divisions that now lack a captain. I believe that it would be an excellent opportunity to show Ichigo what it means to be a captain other than just the melee between Shinigamis and Hollows. I hope you both have healed from your injuries, sincerely Unohana-taichou."

Instantly between the three of them, a single thought blazed through them: 'How did she know that Hitsugaya was going to show Ichigo how to be a captain?'

"Kuchiki-san, what do we do now?"

"Orihime, just follow my lead. We'll get through this without any problems"

The Kurosaki Clinic blazed with lights, as someone from the inside flicked on the light switch. Rukia and Orihime immediately covered their eyes because they weren't ready for the sudden discharge of light. The glass door in front of them opened, the two girls struggled to see who was in front of them but they could only make out a familiar silhouette. As the figure got closer, it became clear who was in front of them. It was Ichigo.

The two girls leapt back instantly, Rukia with her arm raised, ready for a Kidō spell and Orihime with her hands on the pins that was made up of her Shun Shun Rikka. It was Ichigo in front of them, with his bright orange hair illuminated by the light coming from the Kurosaki Clinic, the warm brown eyes that stared down at the both of them, the red and yellow t-shirt and jeans that he wore occasionally. By every standard it was Ichigo, he looked like Ichigo, he smelled like Ichigo, he even smiled like Ichigo…but that was only by every human standard. Neither Orihime nor Rukia could sense the high level of reiatsu that Ichigo always had around him. The person in front of them wasn't Ichigo.

After Hitsugaya had finished with all the papers that were on his desk, the three of them steadily made their way down the 10th Division onto the streets of Seireitei. As they made their way down each floor, the three shinigamis were met with the questions of many 10th Division shinigamis. Ichigo noticed that despite Hitsugaya's reserved manner and Matsumoto's exuberant personality, they actively addressed the concerns of each shinigami they encountered. With each floor, there wasn't any hesitation as the shinigamis drew around them; some greeted them, others bowed to them, and quite a few of them asked for both Hitsugaya's and Matsumoto's advice and guidance. However there was some hesitance to Ichigo though, some were brave enough to nod in his direction but most of them pretended he wasn't there by walking around him and edging slightly to the side.

When the last pair of shinigamis left with their questions answered, the trio finally made it to the front entrance of the 10th Division, with Hitsugaya leading the pair of orange heads.

"You two are very open with those in your division, aren't you?" asked Ichigo, to the voluptuous lieutenant next to him. "Do all captains interact with their insubordinates as you two do?"

Matsumoto's eyes lit up as she stared at the figure of Hitsugaya's back and with a small smile dancing on her lips, she replied, "Well we have to be Ichigo-kun, we are comrades after all. At least that's how we treat each other in the 10th Division, ever since taichou took over after the previous captain. Not all captains treat their comrades as such, most do but not as casually as taichou or Kyōraku-taichou or Ukitake-taichouallows them to though."

"Why is that? Tõshirõ doesn't seem the type to be very casual with those around him. He's very respectful and formal to everyone around him but he's also a little distant and reserved."

"You're right that Hitsugaya is occasionally distant, however he always sets that aside to help those around him. He's only distant and reserved when you first meet him, but if you approach him with open arms he will respond. If that wasn't true, I don't think I would like working with taichou. Besides haven't you noticed? Lately taichou has been more accepting of you than he was during the Ryoka Incident. For example, taichou doesn't usually leave the 10th Division unless he has a specific reason to but today because of you, he's personally escorting you around Seireitei."

Ichigo blushed slightly but he shrugged it off. "He would've done it anyways since Unohana-taichou _insisted_ that he should."

Matsumoto laughed quietly to not rouse the attention of the snow haired boy in front of them. "You're probably right about that too, but don't forget that taichou had already planned to do so before we received Unohana-taichou's message."

The orange haired substitute smiled when he remembered clearly what had happened in the morning. "Hey Rangiku-san, how is the 10th Division? What makes it different from others?"

"Hmm," pondered his companion. "Other than being able to see taichou at a regular basis, the thing that makes this division most different from any other would be that some of the shinigamis that follow taichou have a sibling or a relative within the 10th Division as well."

"Wait, what? Most of the 10th Division shinigamis are related to one another?"

"Yup, taichou is very relaxed about recruitment and he is very understanding when others shinigamis want to work with their families."

"Does that mean that there is someone in the 10th Division who is related to Tõshirõ and another related to you?"

"No, as you know not all souls pass on with their families from the Living World, some souls are taken in by other families in Soul Society, while some are left to survive on their own. Taichou has a grandmother who lives in Rukongai, she took care of him before he even became a shinigami, and I only had Gin." Matsumoto's eyes were downcast as she mentioned Ichimaru.

"I'm sorry Rangiku-san."

"Don't be, it's nothing. It's something I have to accept anyways," remarked Matsumoto, shaking her head lightly. "Oh before I forget, did you find out what was bothering taichou? Since you guys were sleeping together after all." Matsumoto asked with a wink and her tongue sticking out at Ichigo.

Ichigo flushed a dull pink and looked away, "I didn't found out anything, Tõshirõ will tell me when he wants to."

"Awww poor Ichigo, you slept so closely to taichou, but yet you couldn't find anything out," teased the orange haired lieutenant.

"Hey what do you mean by that?'

"I mean –"

The two continued to bicker unaware that the snow haired captain in front of them had heard every single word. What the two of them also didn't realize was that parts of their conversations particularly the latter part about Ichigo sleeping with Hitsugaya had carried through to other people on the streets of Seireitei. The trio was garnering many stares and looks from the other pedestrians, however only Hitsugaya was aware of their situation as he pretended to be as unaware as the other two, but he couldn't help but sigh as he walked.

The sun reflected off of the surface of the koi pond, while the petals of a nearby cherry blossom tree drifted softly on the water's surface, creating small ripples of light. Two shinigamis were sitting on tatami mats as they faced the scene before them, each arranging a handful of flowers in their vases. Setting aside the lily that she had planned to place in the vase, Isane turned to face her captain.

"Unohana-taichou, please forgive me from asking but why did you personally select Hitsugaya-taichou to train Kurosaki-san?" Isane didn't always ask her captain questions but she could barely keep this one under wrap for much longer. It was odd that there was a possibility that Ichigo would be made into a captain within in the Gotei 13. Not that the orange haired substitute wasn't capable of being a captain but nonetheless he wasn't trained to be a true shinigami. Isane herself didn't have a problem with the living shinigami, but she knew that not all shinigamis were as accepting. There were bound to be some who would oppose Ichigo becoming a captain because they felt that they were more deserving.

Unohana eyes didn't leave the flowers before her as her hands wove between branches and leaves, placing flowers where they were needed. Continuing her art, she replied, "I _asked_ Hitsugaya-taichou to train Kurosaki-san, because I felt that it would beneficial for everyone. I was not the first to mention that Kurosaki-san be made a captain, but I was the first to raise this suggestion in front of the other captains. Kurosaki-san, although a substitute shinigami has time and time again proved to be a great asset. His prowess and his skills are not to be taken lightly, if he were to undergo formal shinigami training he would be a more formidable opponent. Other captains may be too proud to admit this, but we need more help than what Soul Society can offer. With time I am certain that we will also require the help of Orihime Inoue, Ury ū Ishida, Yasutora Sado,and anyone else who we can depend on.

"As to why I felt that Hitsugaya-taichou would be a good teacher for Kurosaki-san is because I know that Hitsugaya-taichou has been reserving his emotional side a lot more since what happened to Hinamori-san during Aizen's betrayal. At a time like this, one must not stand alone and suffer silently. I believe that Kurosaki-san will be able to help Hitsugaya-taichou open up while learning how to be a captain." Putting her hands down, her flower arrangement complete, the captain of the 4thDivision turned to look at her lieutenant. "Even if Kurosaki-san isn't made a captain, this experience will be helpful to both him and most importantly Hitsugaya-taichou."

"I understood Unohana-taichou. Thank you for telling me. I also would like to know what your opinion on Hinamori's status is."

"Isane, you have no need to ask me a question like this. You should know what I think of Hinamori-san's current condition. I'm sure we both have the same thoughts: there isn't anything we can do to help her, until she is willing to open up again and is ready to accept the help that is around her. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes you're right taichou," smiling at her captain she bowed her head and made to finish her floral arrangement.

"Oh before I forget Isane, I would suggest that you attend more flower arrangement classes." And just like that, Isane's smile froze on her face.


	8. Goodbye Competition

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they are the property of Tite Kubo.**

**Author's Note: Sorry for the really long wait and hope everyone is ready to enjoy the summer :D.**

"Who are you?"

Rukia kept her arm up, ready to call on the many Kidō spells she memorized to heart. Orihime was just as ready with her hands on the pins that concealed her Shun Shun Rikka. Their eyes did not stray from the person in front of them. Standing before them wasn't Ichigo, even though he was identical to the substitute they knew. Slowly the "Ichigo" became to move towards them step by step, his brown gaze unflinching, a smile still on his face. The girls leapt back, both unsure of what to do – they didn't want to attack "Ichigo" unless it made the first move. Unfortunately for them he just continued to advance, they were backed into the street walls.

"Koten Zanshun, I reject!"

A small burst of light exploded from Orihime's hairclips, launching itself directly at "Ichigo." Rukia stared in shock as Tsubaki surged past her, making for his mark – the orange haired Karakura High School student rarely made the first move and usually avoided violence; this was a different and a shocking approach for her. The two of them were motionless as Tsubaki made contact with "Ichigo," under their watchful gaze they could see that Tsubaki had cut through "Ichigo's" right cheek.

The castle that housed the 9th Division loomed over the three shinigamis, having made their way from the roads of Seireitei on to the pathway leading directly to the entrance. During their walk Ichigo could barely keep up, for him the buildings all resembled one another – it was as though the three of them had just walked in countless circles while the faces of the shinigamis that passed them changed occasionally. The walk has also been very long and quiet, after Matsumoto's teasing about Ichigo's sleeping quarters the two of them were silenced by Hitsugaya's glare. For the whole walk, neither of the two talked in fear of what the short captain would do. As time passed by the three of them had arrived to where they were now, standing directly in front of the 9th Division entrance.

"Good morning Hitsugaya-taichou, Matsumoto-san, Kurosaki-san."

"Good morning Hisagi," chorused the three when the tall, lean dark haired shinigami approached them.

"I trust that you know why we are here today?"

"Yes, Unohana-taichou sent a message to me earlier this morning. She also left a message for you and Matsumoto," replied the 9th Division lieutenant, holding the Hell Butterfly up for Matsumoto.

With a nod from her captain, the voluptuous shinigami raised her hand for the butterfly. Nestling in her hand, she relayed the message from the butterfly,

"Hitsugaya-taichou, Matsumoto-fukutaichou – I'm sorry to disturb you both on your tour with Kurosaki-san but I request both of your presences as soon as this message reaches you. I will be waiting for the both of you within the 4th Division infirmary. Hisagi-fukutaichou, please guide Kurosaki-san for the time being until further notice. Kurosaki-san, please remain with Hisagi until someone is sent to escort you back to the 10th Division."

The two 10th Division shinigamis stared at one another before, their eyes trading a series of questions and inquiries that were unknown to the other two present.

"Ichigo-kun, Hisagi-kun, we'll see you both later," she and Hitsugaya disappeared using shunpo, leaving behind one comment, "At least this will give you guys time to get to know each other." Even though she was gone, they could hear the teasing in her voice.

The two of them scoffed before heading into the 9th Division.

Rukia couldn't believe her eyes, she was surprised that Orihime had taken the first attack but what shocked her more was what happened to "Ichigo." He was deflating, air was coming from the cut on his face while the rest of the body started to fall and fold in on itself. The air continued to live his body, until what was left of "Ichigo" was what appeared to be a sheet of skin and hair, that except for the colours, didn't resemble its former shape at all.

"Aww Orihime-san, why did you have to ruin my product?" A figure with messy blonde hair, wearing a black coat with white diamonds emerged from the Kurosaki Clinic.

"Urahara-san!" greeted the two girls. The man before them was picking up the remnants of the other "Ichigo," with one hand holding the fake, he sighed deeply. "My poor inflatable gigai, I worked hard on this but clearly it wasn't good enough, right Orihime-san? You knew it was a fake when you decided to attack it." Although he was crouching down, holding the remnants of his creation in front of himself, his grey eyes were staring directly at her despite the shadow of the bowl hat he always wore.

"Yes I did, Urahara-san," replied Orihime flushing light rouge. "I sensed a difference in its reiatsu, it didn't feel like Ichigo's."

"That's good, you didn't allow the image before you to control what you sensed. In the upcoming war, there will be many ways for you to be deceived, you must trust your instinct regardless of who you will be fighting against." Getting up with the gigai, he smiled at the two girls in spite of his cryptic words.

"What are you doing here Urahra?" asked Rukia.

"I'm here because I was requested to be here."

"Good morning Unohana-taichou, Kotetsu-fukutaichou," greeted the 10th Division pair, strolling into the main office of the 4th Division infirmary. The 4th Division office was very different from the 10th's the walls were lined with books and diagrams of the human body each displaying a different system be it circulatory, nervous, and what appeared to be reiatsu. In the center of the room was the expected desk where Unohana and Isane were conversing softly until the two arrived.

"Hitsugaya-taichou, Matsumoto-fukutaichou."

Despite the warmth in her voice, it was noticeable that something was troubling the long haired captain. Naturally Matsumoto was the first to speak up, "What is wrong Unohana-taichou?"

Isane was the one to respond, "We have received word that the Arrancars will try to prevent any replacements from becoming members of the Gotei 13. Of the three candidates including Kurosaki Ichigo, only he remains likely to becoming a captain. One of the other candidates is dead, the other lies critically injured now. A message was passed on to one of your patrolling shinigamis by one of the Arrancar's Fraccion:

'Any shinigami who willingly chooses to become a captain within the Gotei 13, will perish before they adorn their white haori. There is no one who can replace Aizen, Gin, and Tōsen, any who try will be destroyed without mercy.'

"The shinigami who acted as the messenger was badly injured, and he had succumbed to his injuries after his given task was completed."

With the end of this message, there was a stunned silence between the four. The silence stretched out until again Matsumoto broke the silence. "How were the two shinigamis injured? Are they not supposed to be protected like we protect Ichigo? Where were the other captains?"

Shaking her head lightly, Unohana directed her gaze at the two before her. "Unfortunately we were not given many details, as the other shinigamis were not under our tutelage – we are only responsible for the ones that we nominate, in our case Kurosaki Ichigo. The one who died was on an excursion to the Living World, he was to understand how the Living can exist without seeing Hollows and to experience the patrols that Seireitei sends to prevent Hollows from causing chaos. During his time to the Living World with his team of shinigamis, we lost contact with him as though he had vanished. A few hours passed and he returned alone and severely injured, when asked he replied that his team were attacked by waves of Menos Grande killing all but him. He was to be brought to the 4th Division but on his way he crossed path with the other candidate.

"When the two of them met, the shinigami from the Living World attacked everyone within his vicinity without relent. As expected of someone of his power, he easily killed every other shinigami but his fellow candidate. During the battle he continued to attack with increasing energy while his prey dwindled. If not for the appearance of the 2nd Division's Special Ops, the second candidate would not be here right now in the 4th Division. The Special Ops allowed both Kurotsuchi-taicou and I to study the corpse of the first shinigami after no other means of saving him were possible. We discovered that he was already dead when he arrived through the Senkaimon, with confirming reports from the Special Ops it was clear that a Hollow had been placed inside of him utilizing his body to invade Seireitei."

"I don't understand, why wasn't the Hollow detected?"

"I wish to know the answer to that too but I believe that it may be the cause of Kaname Tōsen. Being the former 9th Division captain, it would not be surprising him for him to break through the security measures placed by Shūhei-fukutaichou."

The four stood together silently until the snow haired prodigy at long last made a remark. "What does this mean for Kurosaki Ichigo?"

"It means that for the time being, Kurosaki Ichigo will have to protected further from any threats."

"How can he be protected here if a Hollow can enter Seireitei in the guise of a fellow shinigami undetected?"

"He may have to be place back into the Living World with a team of shinigamis to protect him."

"What is our next step then?" The small captain's questions hung in the air, as the four of them waited for a viable answer.

"And here is the Editing Department of the Seireitei Communication, where captains and lieutenants of the Gotei 13 submit their reports to be published."

The pair of them was in a busy environment, there were rows of printing presses set up near the wall. Each printer produced one book at a time rather than a page and each book was at least two hundred pages. The room was teeming with busy shinigamis as they worked to organize the reports they had received in correct order of Division number and moving the finished magazines to their respective stacks. Everyone was busy, only a few noticed the arrival of Hisagi and Ichigo when they accidently bumped into them.

"Does that mean you have a few articles yourself?" After Hitsugaya and Matsumoto had left the two of them alone, Hisagi had immediately brought himself and Ichigo to the barracks which housed the entire publication process of the Seireitei Communication. He had an ulterior motive to do this, he wished to see whether or not the substitute shinigami was interested in the arts and culture of Soul Society. For Hisagi, if his captain were unable to be interested in the going-ons of the inhabitants of Seireitei, then he had no right to be his captain.

"Yes I do."

"Do you mind if I read them?" Having heard Ichigo's questions, he flushed a light pink – he hadn't expected Ichigo to be interested in his work.

There was a laugh behind them. "You shouldn't just read Hisagi's articles, you should read ours too." The long orange haired lieutenant was back with her frosty prodigal captain leading the way. "Especially mine!" Grabbing one of the freshly printed books, she opened the magazine to a full page spread of Hitsugaya smiling brightly and shoved it directly in Ichigo's face. His teal eyes were wide and bright with sunlight and the edges of his mouth were lifted higher than usual into a genuine smile. It was a rare look but it wasn't awkward, it was just different. On the next page was a picture of Hitsugaya sleeping on his desk with a white blanket placed over his shoulders while numerous sheets rested between his face and the surface of the table. Both pictures showed a common expression of Hitsugaya, he appeared to be utterly calm different from his normally calculative and reserved appearance. Ichigo grabbed the magazine and shifted his gaze from Hitsugaya in the book and real life back and forth repeatedly. The young captain, who had been talking with Hisagi about his new duties, gradually realized what Ichigo was happening and glared at the orange haired substitute. However he was unsure of what was in the Seireitei Communications, he only knew that something about it was related to him. Eventually he grew annoyed from the back-and-forth and grabbed the magazine from Ichigo's hands. Staring into the magazine, his eyebrows snapped downwards as his eyes narrowed and as the beginning of a frown grew on his face.

"Matsumoto! Hisagi! What is the meaning of this?" yelled the small captain in question, his mouth in a grimace and his eyes flashing, with the two lieutenants directly in his sights. Ichigo was left unseen because he was opposite of where the two were.

"Taichou, it's not my fault –"

"Your name is on it," turning the magazine backwards to show them and pointing directly at the byline of the article, as well as in the captions under the pictures where the magazine proudly proclaimed "RANGIKU MATSUMOTO" in bold letters.

"Well, yes…about that…you see… The Shinigami Women's Association needed more money for its budget with Yachiru spending the majority of it all sweets and toys so we turned to taking pictures of noticeable members within Seireitei. Shūhei here was kind enough to offer a higher price for our hard work especially since our first attempt had become a huge success –"

"First attempt?" The white haired captain's youthful face immediately deadpanned and the air around them began to chill. Matsumoto could see the air coming from her mouth as well as the slight traces of frostbite stretching over the pages of her article.

"Yes taichou, this isn't the first time Shūhei made us do this." With that she pushed him in between her and her captain.

"Hitsugaya-taichou, I didn't go willing with this," refuted the tattooed shinigami. "The Shinigami Women's Association pressured me into publishing it, Unohana-taichou _insisted_ that I publish the pictures, including the revealing ones of myself." At this, he flushed a deep red that extended down to his neck but he continued on. "Needless to say Unohana-taichou was right, this section of the magazine was highly reviewed and each issue is highly anticipated, especially pictures of you, Ukitake-taichou, and Kyōraku-taichou."

Hitsugaya didn't know what to say, on one hand it was slightly flattering to know that he was well liked by other shinigamis to be as popular as his seniors but it was still an invasion of his privacy. Unbeknownst to him, both Hisagi and Matsumoto were slowly but steadily inching away from him.

"You know, these pictures of you aren't that bad Tōshirō. They make you look happier and as open as you are to the shinigamis who follow you," came a voice away from the three of them. The Karakura high school student had managed to attain another copy of the same issue and was leafing through it casually. "There are no pictures of you sleeping, drunk, or doing anything embarrassing. The same can't be said about Hisagi-san though."

Hisagi who had been smiling in spite of himself at the sudden attention that Ichigo was giving to the Seireitei Communications was floored the minute he heard that comment.

"Is that what you really think Kurosaki?" asked Hitsugaya, he knew that Ichigo wouldn't lie to him since he had no gain in doing so.

"Yes, it just shows a different side of you that not everybody sees regularly."

"Thank you Ichigo, for being honest." Though still mad, the young captain knew it was useless to be mad about something that was already too late. "Hisagi, please continue to show Kurosaki the rest of the 9th Division."

"Where do you think Ichigo is?"

"Stop talking and stay focused!"

The voices echoed between mountains with the sounds of battle quickly following. Four figures were facing one another in the sandy battlefield kept under Urahara's shop. A red headed child, wielding his Muteki Tekkon was facing against a tall dark man with white and red arms, while a girl with pigtails faced off against a slim black haired youth adorned in white and blue clothing.

"Now isn't the time to worry about Ichigo," cried out Jinta. "If you want to be ready for the war against the Arrancars, you have to stay focused on who you're enemy is." Swiping at Sado with his weapon, he didn't give the older teen any chance to retaliate. Sado met each swipe with his Brazo Derecha de Gigante, while occasionally striking with his Brazo Izquierda del Diablo, however his attack rarely made its mark with Jinta so close. It was different for Ishida against Ururu, both were attacking each other from a distance while occasionally Ururu would leap forward to attempt a close impact kill. The four of them fought on the desert ground under the watchful gaze of Tesssai Tsukabishi and the three Bount detectors.

Unohana and Isane remained in the 4th Division infirmary office, remembering the end of the conversation they had with the other two shinigamis. The memory still resonated in the four of them despite the time that had passed.

"What is our next step then?"

"Our next step would be to send Kurosaki Ichigo back to the Living World with a team of carefully selected shinigamis."

"But Unohana-taichou, wouldn't that allow Ichigo to be easier targeted?" was Matsumoto's response.

"Yes it would unfortunately but that is what I have heard from the other captains. Also it is their belief that if Ichigo remained in Karakura Town, Aizen may act hastier and make the first move."

"But –"

"No rebuttals Matsumoto, Unohana-taichou we understand. However when the time comes I will personally select the team to protect Ichigo."

"I wouldn't have it any other way Hitsugaya-taichou."

The two 4th Division shinigamis could still remember the ferocity with which Hitsugaya had stridden away from them, determined to protect Ichigo from any harm. In spite of the dangers, Unohana smiled to herself for her plan for Ichigo and Hitsugaya to form a closer tie together was indeed working.


	9. Daffodils or White Poppies?

**Author's note – Thank you again for my readers for being patient with me.**

**Disclaimer - Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they are the property of Tite Kubo. Except for Nishio Sho, who I did create for the purpose of this story**

The four shinigamis were still wandering the hallways of the 9th Division. The hallway around them were similar to those of the 10th Division, the floor appeared to be covered with tatami mats, while the walls and doors followed the shōji style. What did differ between the two divisions at least in Ichigo's eyes was that all 9th Division shinigamis wore their shinigami kosode uniforms without sleeves much like Hisagi. Another difference would be the way the other shinigamis behaved, these shinigamis were busier than the ones in Hitsugaya's division, being fleet of foot and running back and forth in the hallways, carrying reports and copies of the Seireitei Communications. Occasionally some of them would stop and greet them as they passed by, leaving lingering eyes over the group. However no one seemed to notice, for Hitsugaya, Matsumoto, and Hisagi this was normal, most shinigamis looked up to them as they would for any seated member – for Ichigo, he was hardly aware when people watched him, even within the hallways of Karakura High.

The quartet steadily made their way through many corridors as they got further in, the stream of surrounding shinigamis thinned out, until only shinigamis bearing similar arm bracelets passed them. These spirits greeted the four of them politely enough, however it was clear that they wanted to avoid any social interaction. The walls and the floor changed, from the Japanese style to glass which covered what appeared to be countless wires of every size running along every surface. There were no visible lights, but it seemed that some light emanated from some of the wires, providing a slightly dim line of vision.

"Where are we?" inquired Ichigo, this was a change of pace for him – from the secretive shinigamis to the appearances of modern technology. They had to be approaching a secluded area that not many shinigamis were trusted with.

"We are approaching the Security Headquarters of the 9th Division," replied Hisagi without looking at Ichigo. "My division's specialty aside from the promotion of the arts and culture, is to protect Seireitei as the Gotei 13 Security Force. We at the 9th Division are represented by the white poppy, which symbolizes oblivion – as in the obliteration of those who are unjust."

"Ichigo-kun, which do you like better: Daffodils or white poppies?"

A silence ensued, Hitsugaya and Hisagi were reminded of their conversation from the night before. Both combatants wanted Ichigo to pick their Division's symbol. With the recent event and his recent dream, the snow haired captain felt a strong urge to keep the orange haired young man within his sight and out of harm. Although he didn't show it outwardly, would've preferred to have Ichigo as his 3rd seat so that he would remain within the 10th Division. Sadly he knew that this wouldn't be possible, the Gotei 13 needed help and that was Kurosaki Ichigo. With this in mind, he would do everything in his power to train him the best he can, and maintain a strong relationship with him even if they were to be separated. The black haired lieutenant however felt that Ichigo would be perfect for the 9th Division, though not as just as Tōsen was, he had similar ideals and beliefs to protect those around them; to treat his enemies with mercy; and he was loyal – he would never betray those around him. It was true that Hisagi himself didn't know much about the Karakura Town inhabitant, but he would learn just so they could count on one another in times of need and be there for each other.

The silenced continued, as the four shinigamis made their way deeper and deeper in the 9th Division corridor. Matsumoto pretended to be blissfully unaware but beneath her smile, she knew that this would happen. She would've liked Ichigo to stay in the 10th Division as well seeing the positive benefits he had on her captain but she knew the decision was ultimately up to him. On the other hand, Ichigo would also be a good fit with Hisagi especially now with Tōsen gone, he was more alone than before. She also knew that this would separate Ichigo from Orihime indefinitely, she didn't want to hurt Orihime but there wasn't any way around that. Ichigo kept silent as well, he knew whatever he said someone would take it personally but he also knew that he was the only who could end the silence.

"I never thought about that, I don't spend time thinking about flowers."

"Okay then, well you should think about it. Whichever flower you pick defines what kind of person you are. Hey, I have another question: do you prefer black hair or white hair?"

This time the veiled meaning behind it was more obvious, but there was no accompanying silence for they had arrived at the door of the room that held the 9th Division's security measures. All the wires that ran the length of the corridor they had walked through led behind a large shōji door that was fabricated with steel instead of wood and sheets of flattened sekkiseki stone instead of paper. The door stayed shut until Hisagi focused his reiatsu much like Hitsugaya did and used it to stab through the door. It slid open, revealing a room filled with monitors, displaying countless areas in Seireitei in different ways, and communication equipment with dozens of shinigami with the arm bracelets.

"This is the 9th Division's Security Office. In here we monitor areas like Rukongai, the training areas for Shinō Academy, and shinigamis on patrol in the Living World. We also make sure that nothing disturbs the Dangai Precipice World," stated Hisagi as the door behind them slid shut.

Ichigo could still remember his experience in that world, with Ishida, Sado, and Orihime being chased by the Kōtotsu fearing for their lives. Urahara's technology had prevented them from being blasted across time and for Orihime's Soten Kesshun which protected the four of them.

"Welcome Hitsugaya-taichou, Matsumoto-fukutaichou, Hisagi-fukutaichou, and Kurosaki-san," greeted a shinigami off to the side.

"Good morning Nishio-san, this is Nishio Sho, he remains in headquarters and sends reports to us," introduced the new shinigami to Ichigo. The newcomer wore the sleeveless uniform of the 9th Division, was half a head shorter than Ichigo himself, had a dark blue fauxhawk, and brown eyes hidden behind slim glasses.

"How did he know my name?"

"I was part of the group that monitored your actions during the Ryoka Incident," replied Sho. "Hisagi-fukutaichou, we discovered an anomaly in the Dangai Precipice World that could allow an intrusion into Soul Society. We also have received reports of an incident in front of the Senkaimon, I have sent a report to your office."

"I will see to it."

"So what are you doing here, Urahara-san?"

"Like I said, because I was requested to be here Kuchiki-san," replied the mysterious shop owner. "I trust that the two of you are here to see Ichigo, you're not the only ones. Come with me." Having said this, he walked back into the Kurosaki Clinic leaving the two girls outside.

"What do you think we should do now Orihime?"

"We should follow him, something doesn't seem right here."

The two girls quickly entered the clinic in pursuit of the man wearing the bowl hat. Upon entering the Kurosaki household, the pair followed after the wisp of black fabric that turned around the corner. They recognized the direction that they were being led in, they were being led into the Ichigo's bedroom. They continued to walk, their shadows casted on the wall beside them without any disfiguration – it was like how it was normally when the Kurosaki family were there except for the silence. Their footsteps echoed ominously around them, they could hear each breath they took as though they were breathing down their own necks. Something weird was going on, ahead of them they saw Kisuke Urahara disappear into the door that led to Rukia's former resting place and with a slam the door shut again. Cautiously the two twisted the doorknob, hearing the spring inside twist and pushed in. Forces grabbed them into the room, like pairs of hands grabbing on to theirs and pulling them in. Being pulled in was the least of their concerns, for the ground below them was covered with shadows – that was their last coherent thought before the two of them dropped into the abyss.

"And that's the 9th Division," Hisagi said to Ichigo supporting a very tired Matsumoto and a fairly bored looking Hitsugaya. After leaving the Headquarters of the Gotei 13 Security Force, the 9th Division lieutenant had taken them from the first floor of the castle to the highest point of the castle and back down again. By this time it was after midday, the sun was already beginning to set and head towards the horizon.

"You…you…didn't show Ichigo….-kun your off-office yet," panted Matsumoto. Although she had been trained for combat, even she wasn't used to walking up and down the castles that housed Divisions and walking in between them for most of the morning. From walking up and down the 10th Division to doing the same at the 9th Division without using shūnpo at all, she was tired. Or at least that's what she hoped they thought, she really just wanted a place to sit down and hopefully get back the sake she had left behind in Hisagi's office, last time they both got drunk with Kira.

"Right, it's this way." Leading them to a different direction, the four of them were headed to Hisagi's office.

During the whole walk, Hitsugaya hadn't mentioned a word – he had been deep in thought on what to do when the time came to protect Ichigo in the Living World. He had thought that no one had noticed his silence, but he was wrong – he caught Ichigo staring at him a couple of times to which he would ignore. He had more important things to do than to add his comments about the 9th Division, he had also been conversing with Hyōrinmaru. During his walk, his eyes were focused on his surroundings, but his consciousness was in his mind back in the frozen barren wasteland of his dreams. In his mind's eye he could see his zanpaktou's icy serpentine shape as it circled him. Hyōrinmaru's head faced him dead on, his red eyes matching his own teal eyes.

"What do you need of me Hitsugaya?"

"I want to know why Kurosaki Ichigo is appearing within my inner world."

"His form has appeared in this world because you have wished for him to be here. Within yourself, both you and I know that Kurosaki Ichigo could be the key to help you from what is troubling you. You have fully realized that, which is why you resent the fact that in the future he may leave you to be the Captain of the 9th Division. You resent that you may lose him to Hisagi Shūhei, just as you resent losing Hinamori to Aizen."

"Then are you also implying that I want to kill Kurosaki Ichigo?" questioned the young captain, remembering his dream from the night before.

"That dream was a premonition, it was a glimpse into the near future."

"In other words, I will kill Ichigo."

"Correct."

"Is that for certain?"

"No, the future is constantly changing whether or not this future will happen depend on you."

"What is that suppose to mean?"

The barren wasteland disappeared, Hitsugaya was back in the corridors of the 9th Division, walking behind Hisagi when he noticed Ichigo staring at him from the corner of his eyes. Seeing that, he scoffed and looked away, missing the small smile that spread on Ichigo's lips.

The four of them continued their journey in the 9th Division, and it was by this time when Ichigo had finally noticed how the 9th Division shinigamis had been staring after them. Making their way through the hallway, through one of the many shōji walls they had arrived into a white room. Several bookshelves lined the walls of the room, surrounding a Japanese table complete with four cushions for chairs, a desk somewhat smaller than Hitsugaya's and a guitar leaning against the farthest corner from the entrance. They had arrived into Hisagi's office, and the minute the door closed behind the four of them Ichigo decided to ask his question. Normally he was unaware of being stared at but having encountered it frequently in the 9th Division, he noticed.

"Why do they all stare at us?"

Before Hisagi could open his mouth Matsumoto's voice came from behind, surprisingly she wasn't as tired as she led them to believe. "It's because they're curious. Thanks to a study from the Shinigami Women's Association, we have uncovered that shinigamis brimming with curiousity and those who enjoy to exercise their mind, normally align themselves with the 9th Division, isn't that right Shūhei? You were very curious about the guitar you brought back from the Living World, especially now since Sado-kun was nice enough to teach you. I remember how you used to have to go Rukongai, so no one would be able to hear you practice." Despite Matsumoto and Hitsugaya standing closest to the door, behind both Ichigo and Hisagi, they could hear the smile in her voice and could picture her smiling from ear to ear while her words jabbed the 9th Division lieutenant from the back.

"Please have a seat," gestured Hisagi to the three of them. The four of them sat around the table, Matsumoto smiling openly now that she was able to sit down and relax while the three male shinigamis sat awkwardly and stared around the room. This awkwardness was put to a halt when Hitsugaya posed his question.

"Hisagi, will you be able to go to the Living World if it was requested of you?"

The smile slid off of Matsumoto's face, she knew the serious matter that was behind this question. Her taichou was considering whether or not to take Hisagi to the Living World with them to protect Ichigo.

"I will be able to Hitsugaya-taichou, but why would it be asked of me?"

"Your services will be required in the Living World."

"Are the four of us going back to the Living World?" asked Ichigo, catching on to the conversation.

"Yes we should be going soon. Kurosaki, we will be staying in your house during our time there."

"Wait a minute Tōshirō, you can't just stay –"

"It's Hitsugaya-taichou."

" – in my house, what about my family?"

"Ichigo-kun, if your closet is as big as Rukia says, we'll just stay in there if not we'll figure something out. By the way taichou, I have to go now. My vacation starts now, I'll see you and Ichigo later. Bye bye." With that said, Matsumoto used shunpō and left the 9th Division completely.

The three shinigamis sat still unsure of what to do now that Matsumoto left, she had been the one to start conversations.

"Hisagi-san, can I hear you play the guitar?"

"Sure thing." He was elated to have audience to play to, happy enough that he didn't see Hitsugaya visibly blanch.

"Where are we Orihime?"

"We seem to be in Urahara's underground training room but we went in to Ichigo's room right?"

The two stared ahead into the sandy terrain, while mountains surrounded them. Near them they could sense the familiar reiatsu of their comrades.


	10. Swift Attack

**Disclaimer – These characters are the property of Tite Kubo. Except for Nishio Sho, who I did create for the purpose of this story.**

"Rukia, Orihime! Where are you? I thought we were going to hang out during my one week vacation! Where are you guys?" shouted a orange haired young woman up to the sky. It had already been a while since Matsumoto left Seireitei to start her vacation in the Living World, or so she thought. She actually had just left Ichigo, her captain, and Hisagi in the 9th Division and fulfilled her taichou's requests an hour ago. In that hour she had already used most of the money she had brought with her on the newest clothes. Buying enough clothes, she went to look for Orihime's apartment because she normally stayed there whenever she was on excursion in the Living World. When she arrived at Orihime's home, unaware of the stares that men and some women had been giving her gigai as she walked the street, she was disappointed to find that no one was home. She easily could've gotten in with the use of a Mod Soul and using her spirit form to open the door from inside out but it was impolite. Besides that wouldn't answer the question as to where Rukia and Orihime were. Closing her eyes, she calmed herself and focused on opening her senses to the reiatsu of her two friends. Ignoring all the spiritual particles loose in the air, she found them, they were at the Kurosaki Clinic. This conclusion certainly had nothing to do with the small sticker that Orihime has left on the door, telling any passerby where they were. With her shopping bags in her hand, she ran off to the Kurosaki residence, leaving a trail of smoke in her wake.

* * *

Orihime and Rukia had been walking towards Sado and Ishida the minute they had fallen out of the hole in Ichigo's room. They recognized this area more and more, it _was_ the training area underneath Urahara's shop. Orihime recognized some of the markings she had made in that world when she was training the Shun Shun Rikka. At a distance, she could see a part of the ground that rested by itself while the area around it was completely reduced to rubble, it was back when she trained her Santen Kesshun against Sado's El Directo. It had been a long time since then and just like then, if they were training in Urahara's "basement" then the upcoming battle would definitely not be an easy one. Shaking her head slightly to shed these thoughts, Orihime continued to walk with Rukia towards their two friends unaware of an odd shape following the pair of them. The figure leapt off of the mountain cliffs that stood next to them on one side and landed on Orihime's orange head.

"Orihime-san! Kuchiki-san!"

She recognized that voice, she reached upwards, removed the thing from her head, and held it in front of herself. What she held in her hands was a pink plushy purse with rabbit ears and colourful clothing. Yellow-criss cross eyes stared into her own brown eyes.

"Kurōdo-san!" Orihime hugged the purse closely to her. "I haven't seen you, Ririn-san, or Noba-san since the Bounts attacked. What are you doing here?"

"Urahara-san has been taking care of us. The three of us have been helping with training, we probably won't be a match for the Arrancars but we will try our best supporting you guys. Come follow me," leaping out of Orihime's arm he jumped to the sandy ground. "Urahara-san sent me to take you both to them." Running off to the distance, his figure began to diminish followed by Orihime and Rukia.

* * *

"How was that?" asked Hisagi hesitantly, his hands straying away from the guitar strings, setting the guitar on his lap.

The two listeners were speechless, both had unreadable expressions. Hitsugaya looked indifferent, his blue eyes encompassed by white lashes were unrevealing, his mouth set in the usual straight line – his face hid from the other two the surprise that he felt. Hisagi had played it well but only with the help of Ichigo. The fore mentioned strawberry had helped the tattooed shinigami when he had forgotten to tighten his guitar strings and guided him until he managed to tighten the strings appropriately. The orange haired youth now wore a proud smile, it was true that Sado could play better but after his strings were retuned, Hisagi play almost as well.

"I thought you did well," answered Ichigo.

"Thanks to you, for helping me tune my guitar,' said Hisagi modestly, blushing lightly while looking downwards. "What did you think Hitsugaya-taichou?"

"I thought you improved greatly," the snow haired captain responded.

"Hisagi-fukutaichou!" They heard through the door before an accompanying knock. "We need your help! Something has happened during training in Shinō Academy. Hollows have gotten through one of our maintained areas and our records show that they are approaching the group of first years."

The door slid open with a loud snap, revealing a disheveled Sho. The calm air that he had had around him before was gone now and in its place was an air of unease as he grabbed Hisagi out of the office and the two of them sprinted away, leaving a lingering glance of the shinigami uniform behind. Ichigo and Hitsugaya wasted no time following after them, the two quickly caught up to them and could hear snippets of their conversations.

"- why can't you open up a Senkaimon and have them brought back?"

"Don't you think I've already tried that? The Kidō specialists can't open a path from there to here, they can only form a path from here to there. Once the Kidō specialists get through they will be able to adjust to the environment there and open the Senkaimon back here"

"Then send them over!"

"We can't until the Hollows are purified, a team has already been sent but they haven't been able to open the gate. If the Hollows aren't attacking them directly they are absorbing the spirit particles in the air, disrupting any chances for a Senkaimon to be completed. The only way for them to succeed is if the Hollows are defeated."

"Then the three of us will go," announced Hitsugaya from behind.

"But Hitsugaya-taichou, you're a captain –"

"That's precisely why I should go, send the Kidō specialists in charge of the Senkaimon word now." With each word, it seemed like blocks of ice fell from the small captain's mouth. The blue-haired shinigami didn't dare to disobey the ice wielding shinigami.

"Right taichou!"

The three of them used shunpō and left the corridors of the 9th Division while behind them they could hear Sho's voice notifying the Kidō specialists with what they believed to be an earpiece. The three companions arrived in front of the Senkaimon within seconds as Sho's message was still being sent. Moments later, two Kidō specialists in their black shihakusho with their long white head coverings appeared and opened the gate to the secluded area that the Shinō Academy used for training. The spewing of light from the grand doors alerted the three shinigamis that they could now pass, without hesitation they dived into the Senkaimon.

* * *

At the Kurosaki Clinic, the sun was shining brightly with the sky empty of clouds. Everything was bright, the building almost seemed to glow. People walked by it but no one dared to approach it except for one familiar orange haired lieutenant. Still carrying her many shopping bags, she banged loudly on the glass doors of the Kurosaki Clinic. She could feel the presence of Orihime and Rukia in that building, it was very faint but if someone knew what to look for, they could easily sense them. As she continued to bang fruitlessly against the glass doors, she realized that none of the Humans around her had tried to stop her or at the very least ask what she was doing. Turning around, Matsumoto noticed that none of the Humans were even looking her way or walking anywhere near her. They all walked in front of the clinic, never going closer than two feet from the doors. Matsumoto recognized a barrier when she saw it, she wasn't familiar with it but she could deduce that this barrier only affected Humans. Knowing that spiritual things were taking place, she felt around the glass doors for a barrier – there had be a barrier that muted any sound from the outside world. A flicker of light briefly appeared through the glass door, her eyes focused on what could caused it when suddenly –

Thwack! The window upstairs opened.

Hearing that Matsumoto loudly proclaimed to the open window. "Hey is anyone up there? I'm just here to visit my friends."

The door in front of her opened, beyond it laid a long dark corridor. It was as she remembered last time she was there but this time it seemed to be devoid of life. Stepping in, she braced herself for anything.

"Hello? Orihime? Rukia? Is anyone in here?"

The words had only just left her mouth when unseen hands pulled her towards Ichigo's room. She struggled against those hands as she was wrenched through the air, bags and all. Unable to make any effect on her captors, she disappeared headfirst into Ichigo's room while the Kurosaki Clinic doors closed silently.

* * *

Screams echoed off the surrounding black walls of nearby buildings. Figures wearing in the blue, red and white Shinō Academy uniform scattered, their zanpaktous forgotten in their hand. Their frightful images reflected off of the broken glass that covered the roads and the fractured windows that lined the remnants of destroyed buildings. They scoured the abandoned roads like tiny ants while Hollows of varying sizes chased after them. Those that stopped to fight the Hollows were struck down and devoured before they could even release their katanas or even utter the beginning of a Kidō spell. They were only a few in the group, like grains of sand in an hourglass – the ones who survived to see their death fled for their lives. The group of Hollows that chased after them with passion loomed over them like skyscrapers their black hollow eyes keeping track of their every move playing a sadistic game of cat-and-mouse. They were unaware of the shoji doors that appeared behind them. The Senkaimon slid open revealing two black clad shinigamis following a shorter captain wearing the white haori that was adorned by every captain. Hitsugaya, Hisagi, and Ichigo had arrived.

Seeing the pandemonium that haunted after their comrades, the three of them released zanpaktous and their reiatsu into the air to draw the attention of the Hollows. Sensing their power in the air, the warped souls turned slowly and awkwardly, their bodies destroying the buildings that they brushed up against. With a roar, the nearest Hollow to them, a grey spirit with broad shoulders and a snake-like tail lunged after them. The two Hollows behind followed after, their serpentine bodies whipping through the air destroying anything they touched. Without a sound, these three Hollows were struck down by Hisagi, his zanpaktou, Kazeshini in its full glory. Wielding his scythe-like partner, he tore through enemy after enemy leaving only dissolving spirit particles in his wake. The tattooed shinigami continued to attack with Ichigo and Hitsugaya watching over the Senkaimon, while the remaining Hollows surrounded them. The Hollows surrounded within a tight circle and the closer ones lunged inwards to attack the three. Warped spirits of every size flew through the air, some resembling snakes, some resembling birds, and the rest resembled distorted humans each one baring open mouths filled with sharp teeth. As they continued their flight in the air, they were unable to evade the attack of Hyōrinmaru's special ability and Zangetsu's Getsuga Tensho. The icy dragon reared its head from the blade and struck down all the Hollows on the left side with a crescent of black energy decimating all those that remained on the right. Within seconds, the attackers were slaughtered and vanished into the air. They were no match for anyone who had at least the power of a lieutenant. Before the last Hollow faded away completely, Aizen's disembodied voice spoke through it.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, you can't protect the Living World and Soul Society at the same time. You can only protect one, if you choose to protect Soul Society these problems will continue to happen – more shinigamis will die for you."

Hitsugaya's blue eyes flashed towards Ichigo, as Hisagi's grey pupils darted in his direction. Although he had remained in battle position with Zangetsu held in front of him, he face betrayed his surprise. The substitute shinigami's mouth was slightly agape with wide brown eyes. The Shinō Academy students who hid watched the end of the Hollows and had heard the message, scrambled to look for 'Kurosaki Ichigo.' For them this 'Kurosaki Ichigo' was the reason for their attack, the reason for their friends who now lay wounded while those who didn't survive were reduced to bloody pulps on the ground. In truth the attack had only taken the lives of three students and wounded a handful of others, but to the shock induced mind, these consequences were magnified. Manipulated by Aizen's tactics to promote confusion and disarray, they easily fell into his ploy and were eager to eject the selected shinigami. Their faces covered by masks to anger and suspicion, each one hoping to bring out the cause of their despair. Trapped by their own bloodlust they were unaware that two Kidō specialists who had previously crossed through during the attack, were now opening the Senkaimon. Their whisperings continued to rise, more heated as they looked for Kurosaki Ichigo until they were aware of the bright lights that emitted from the two enshrouded shinigamis that met and formed the sliding doorway that led back to Soul Society.

"Enough, first years return back to Seireitei. Head towards the 4th Division they will care for you while we investigate what happened," ordered the 10th Division captain. Beside him stood Ichigo and Hisagi, who had kept the orange haired shinigami between the two of them to avoid any of the students realizing he was their target.

The students fled into the Senkaimon, their thoughts far away from Kurosaki Ichigo, were now more focused on helping their fallen friends who they supported while they took them through the gateway. 4th Division members took the remaining shinigamis who were buried in the rubble of fallen buildings and were trapped underground. Shinigamis moved in and out of the Senkaimon, Hisagi did his best to hide Ichigo from the view but Ichigo could see the bodies of the three shinigamis who died and the other wounded shinigamis who were carried in stretchers. He could see their faces twisted in pain as some of them held what was left of their limbs, some lost their arms or legs, while others appeared to have had a bite taken out of them. By the time, the last of the survivors had been carried by the 4th Division shinigamis, Ichigo's eyes were downcast hidden by his orange bangs as he felt that he was the cause for their pain. The guilt surrounded Ichigo and closed in on him, sensing his unease Zangetsu returned into its shikai form. This did not go unnoticed by Hisagi or Hitsugaya.

"Ichigo stop looking downward, we have to return to Seireitei. This wasn't your fault, those traitors just used you as an excuse to attack the Shinō Academy students and to prevent you from aligning with us."

Shihakusho and captain haori flowing around him as he moved, Hitsugaya turned his back away from the destruction and walked briskly towards the gateway that connected the worlds, giving a meaningful glance to Ichigo and Hisagi to follow him. Ichigo's brown eyes snapped upwards when he heard Hitsugaya's remark and along with Hisagi, he fell in line behind the white haired captain. Staring at the back of their leader, he noticed that the blue eyed prodigy was walking frigidly, his back trembling with anger causing each step to echo loudly in their pathway. Hisagi was much the same, from what Ichigo could see from his peripheral vision Hisagi's eyes were narrowed with a grimace spread widely on his face. His posture was bent with anger and each step like Hitsugaya's was forceful and brisk. Out of the three, Ichigo was the only to not be inflected by anger for he walked in silent confusion at the reaction of his companions. The doorway closing behind them, they walked through a series of sliding doors and eventually emerged on the stone pathway that led to the Senkaimon in Seireitei. What awaited them were Unohana and Isane, their faces unreadable but their stances both betrayed their unease. Unohana held her hands together tightly in front of her braid while Isane was fidgeting with the helm of her shinigami uniform.

"Hitsugaya-taichou, Shūhei-fukutaichou, Kurosaki-san, please come with us to 4th Division office immediately," said Isane upon their arrival. With a nod from Unohana, the two of them used shunpō, while the two guys hooked their arms with Ichigo's and followed after them to the 4th Division main office.

* * *

"Ow where am I?"

Matsumoto was sitting down on the sandy ground, surrounded by her shopping bags. She was unsure of where she was – it wasn't a place that she had ever encountered. Getting herself up, she dusted herself off and gathered her bags. As she focused on the ground for her bags, she noticed two set of footprints imprinted in the sand. At a distance away from her, she could sense Orihime and Rukia – tracing their direction, she ran off towards them while making sure that a Mod Soul was within her reach, should she need to use it in a hurry. She opened her spiritual awareness so that she would be alert from any possible attack.

* * *

"Hitsugaya it's out of own hands now." Unohana's eyes were closed as she spoke to the shinigamis who stood before her. Hisagi, Ichigo, and Hitsugaya stared at her attentively – each save the latter was unaware for the reason behind the sudden meeting. "We have no other choices. There is nothing else that we can do. I have received word that Kurosaki Ichigo is to be placed under evaluation of the Gotei 13 and until he is cleared, he is to remain in the Living World. Access to Soul Society, let alone Seireitei will be restricted to him – should you, Kurosaki Ichigo, disobey this command and choose to return to Seireitei, you will be treated and hunted as a Ryoka and executed without trial." Throughout that speech, Unohana's hands did not uncross, they still in front of her – her knuckles white, tense from holding herself too hard.

"I don't understand why you're telling this to us Unohana-senpai," questioned the 10th Division captain, his blue eyes widened in surprise. Hisagi and Ichigo both mirrored his expression – Ichigo was ready to speak out when Hisagi nudged him with his elbows. In their present state, it was wiser to follow Hisagi's lead and allow this conversation to continue between the two captains.

"I only tell you this now, so that when the time comes for the three of us to be summoned to the First Division neither you nor Kurosaki-san will be surprised."

"How is it that this decision has come to be?"

"One of the students who had been involved in the attack is a family member of one of the royal family in Soul Society. The members of Central 46 have also used their influence on the Gotei 13 to force this decision – the majority of them had already decided against allowing a human shinigami become a member of the Gotei 13. This incident only gave cause to their reasoning."

"If there is nothing we can do to change this decision, then what is our next step?" Hitsugaya kept his gaze calm but behind his pupils were plates of ice.

"I trust that you remember our previous meeting Hitsugaya." Despite the upsetting news, Unohana smiled briefly. "I trust that you have also made the preparations that we've spoken of."

"Yes, Matsumoto will have already sent word to the other members that I have enlisted."

A Hell Butterfly flew into the room and made its way to land on Isane's outstretched hand. Looking directly at it, she relayed the message. "Unohana-taichou, it's time. They have requested that you, Hitsugaya-taichou, and Kurosaki-san to arrive in the main hallway of the 1st Division."

Sighing, Unohana unclasped her hands and gestured for Hitsugaya and Kurosaki to follow her as she left the infirmary. Looking back she said, "Hisagi, Isane please wait for us at the Senkaimon."

Without a sound, the three of them used shunpō with Unohana and Hitsugaya leading Ichigo towards their destination.

**Author's Note: Any comments, reviews, or constructive criticism will be appreciated. **


	11. Consequences

**Disclaimer – These characters are the property of Tite Kubo. ****Except for Nishio Sho,**** Shibari Yohi, Inari Shi, Minazuki Naori**** who I did create for the purpose of this story**

Wisp of clouds surrounded the bright sun, spreading thinner and thinner as they drifted father away into the blue sky. Sandy dunes and mountains spread across the land reaching as far as the horizon, creating a jagged edge that connected the world below to the one above. The wind blew around each mountain, gathering the sand that twinkled and dazzled in the bright sunlight before settling back down on the barren land. The breezed continued its path, whispering around the handful of figures who had remained in the training room that was created by Kisuke Urahara, now beneath Kurosaki Ichigo's room. A bespectacled black haired young man adorned in the white and blue uniform of Quincies launched glowing blue arrows from the web-like bow that sprang from his hands against a small girl dressed in a white t-shirt with a pink skirt. Each arrow failed to meet its mark, regardless of how it was shot – the girl was just too evasive. Whether the arrow was launched from the air or from behind her regardless of where Ishida came from Ururu evaded them all. Every time before the arrow could meet its mark, she dodged slightly and retaliated with her clothed rocket launcher, her Senren Bakusatu Taiho. To any spectators this battle appeared to be a match between equals – with neither side hitting their opponent –but to the experienced fighters who watched the battle between two snipers, Ururu was clearly in command. Despite the onslaught of glowing arrows that flew through the air each one aimed to strike her down, she had barely moved from her spot – a slight step in a different direction or a leap into the air had brought her to safety. While Ishida under the barrage of Ururu's projectiles moved frequently in different locations and directions – even though he managed to avoid any harm, exhaustion ruled with the small girl hunting him down. Catching on, the black haired youth attempted the same tactic however Ururu easily blew apart his arrows with her own rockets, preventing any chances of making her scatter. Unable to make her flee Ishida attempted to copy her tactic – however where she succeeded he failed, when she increased the firing rate of her weapon. The purpose of this exercise was to provide more experience to the Quincy, if he were to face Kaname Tōsen – he would at least be able to prepare himself against his shikai's special ability Suzumushi Nishiki: Benihikō. That special ability would launch a shower of blades on its unsuspecting enemy. Should his opponent be Ichimaru Gin, this practice would help adjust his speed to match those of his enemy's shikai. Ultimately this exercise would help him become more efficient in his arrow production and allow him to become faster at firing them.

A distance from the pair, two other fights bloomed nearby. A brown haired man with red and white armored arms launched fists of condensed energy at a red haired boy who batted them away, sending them in different directions. Occasionally his own power El Directo was sent back to him, forcing him to withdraw and attack again. With each fist missing his intended target, Sado leapt forward trying to attack Jinta in close combat. Each hit, fist, punch, and strike was met with the hard impact of metal as Jinta matched each one. Much like Ururu and Ishida, it was clear who was in control of the fight – Jinta ruled over Sado unlike his older adversary the red haired youth didn't need to gather the spirit particles in his weapon before striking. This not only allowed him to launch quicker strikes against his opponent but to also prevent Sado from sending successive attacks. Even though their approach was different and there was a different set of requirements – this exercise was much like the one for Ishida, it was to train Sado to not only pull spirit particles on to his fist faster but also to strengthen his control over them to unleash a stronger attack.

Off to the side away from both fights, another battle was taking place. Three figures were battling against two others – Orihime and Rukia were facing against three familiar shapes. They were the three Bount detectors in their gigai: Kurōdo, a black and yellow haired middle aged man with round spectacles and a thin moustache, wearing an abstract Western suit with a matching top hat; Noba, a young man adorning a blue-black coat with a fur lined collar completed with a matching belt and zippered hood that concealed his face – leaving only red hair and light blue eyes to be seen; Ririn, a blond haired child wearing a pink dress with a black crow like poncho draping her shoulders. The three of them squared off against the Shun Shun Rikka user and the 13th Division shinigami. Using their special skills, Noba redirected the Kidō spell from Rukia back towards them. Orihime and Rukia dodged the attack, resulting in the spell hitting the ground, spreading a layer of sand everywhere. Using her ability with illusions, Ririn multiplied the effect of the sand to create a sandstorm that allowed both her and Kurōdo to move in. When the sand dispersed, there were two Rukias and two Orihimes.

Four figures sat atop a mountain overlooking the nine fighters – Urahara, Tessai, Matsumoto, and Rukia's gigai. The 10th Division lieutenant had followed the two girls and had almost caught up to them when she was pulled upwards atop the mountain by unseen hands. Landing there she saw Tessai and Rukia's gigai, and it was there she learned that that the Urahara shop worker was keeping a training process. When asked if she would partake, Matsumoto refused – after all she was still on vacation. Time passed by and the tall man adorning a store apron stood up, raised his hands to his mouth, and shouted, "Time!"

At once all three fights ended simultaneously. The reason for this was that the Kidō spell which amplified the strengths and powers of Ururu, Jinta, and the Bount detectors needed to be renewed. Although the five were formidable by themselves, with the spell in place they provided stronger opponents for Ishida, Sado, Orihime, and Rukia. This spell was a unique creation that could only work for one hour and forty-eight minutes and could only be applied on the five Urahara shop inhabitants. Despite Tessai's prodigious skill in Kidō, this spell needed to be properly attuned to the people it is to be cast on. For the attunement to be complete, a span of 263 days was required.

Through the use of Noba's portal abilities each fighter was teleported one by one through the red-pink doorway that the red haired Bount detector was in charge of, to where the four watchers were. With all four members that made up Ichigo's team gathered and their wounds healed by Orihime's Sōten Kisshun, Urahara snapped his white fan shut, creating a loud thwack that called their attention.

"With the four of you here, and the intrusion dealt with." Glancing briefly at the orange haired lieutenant before turning towards the four he continued, "I can explain why we are here. The seven of us are here on the request of Unohana-taichou. Matsumoto-san, I trust that you know why." Looking directly at the orange haired lieutenant, his grey eyes flashed from underneath the shadow of his hat.

"I don't know what you're talking about," replied the shinigami who was blissfully enjoying her vacation, fanning her hands in front of her face to brush off the assumption. She trusted Urahara but unless he revealed the truth about Ichigo's whereabouts himself, she wouldn't be the one to reveal to the truth. She had been under strict orders by Hitsugaya not to tell anyone about their comrade's impending promotion except for the four members who fought alongside him.

To this, Urahara smiled. "Good job, it's always wise to be cautious about sharing information especially during this time. Since Matsumoto-san will not be disobeying her orders, I will tell you where Kurosaki Ichigo is."

The four who heard this statement all raised their head attentively, the exhaustion from their battle disappearing instantly. Their ears and eyes now completely focused on the Urahara and every single of his words.

"At present time, Kurosaki Ichigo is in Seireitei training to become a captain within the Gotei 13."

* * *

Retsu Unohana, Tōshirō Hitsugaya, and Ichigo Kurosaki stood together facing the other captains of the Gotei 13. The three of them had arrived in the long corridor that was housed within the 1st Division. When they arrived in the bright hallway that was normally used for meetings between captains, they were surrounded by the other division leaders. Standing to the sides, each captain was placed in numerical order with Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamato at the back of the room, facing the three of them head on. Instead of the usual warm smiles from Jūshirō Ukitake and Shunsui Kyōraku, on their faces loomed a look of sadness as well as anger. It was not only them who held this visage. Even with years of practice in controlling their emotions the remaining captains who lined the walls each adorn the same mask of anger, disappointment, and sadness. They knew that they had indirectly fallen for one of Aizen's schemes. Under their own power, they would've done everything they could to keep Ichigo within Seireitei and trained him to become a full-fledged captain. However Central 46 had other ideas and against the wishes of the Gotei 13 a decision was made.

"It has been decided that for the time being, Kurosaki Ichigo will not be allowed within Seireitei. Kurosaki Ichigo, should you try to pass the Senkaimon, you will have to bypass the Dangai Precipice World. Once you have entered this world, you will be treated again as a Ryoka and should you be caught, you will be executed on Sōkyoku Hill , a death sentence will be enacted by the end of today – this is the will of Central 46."

In lieu of a spoken statement, the orange haired substitute shinigami nodded his head in understanding.

"What will you do now?"

Ichigo snapped his head upwards in surprise. He had not anticipated that question especially in light of the heavy sentence that was just laid out. The sight that lay before him were small smiles that bloomed on the lips of every captain – except Mayuri Kurotsuchi and Byakuya Kuchiki, they all found the sudden question and his response to be amusing. Unable to answer still paralyzed by shock, Hitsugaya took the helm and answered in his place.

"Until the war or when Central 46 has decided to remove their sentence, Kurosaki Ichigo will stay in the Living World with a group of shinigamis that I have personally selected to ensure his safety. I will lead that group and continue Ichigo's training in Kidō." His teal eyes unblinking he faced the other captains daring them to ask the crucial question of the moment – despite being unready for it for he had not been expecting one of Aizen's ploys to manipulate Central 46

"What of your division?" asked Byakuya.

Before Hitsugaya could open his mouth, Unohana stepped forward with her head raise high and answered in place of the 10th Division captain. "The seated members of the 10th Division will continue to watch over their division. I will also drop in on the 10th Division on a daily basis to ensure that everything is as Hitsugaya would've led it. Should there be any discrepancies, we can discuss them through the use of Hell Butterflies. As the senior member who was in support of Kurosaki Ichigo becoming a captain of the Gotei 13, it is my responsibility to see this proposal to its end while upholding all loose ends." Although the 4th Division captain wore a gentle smile on her face, everyone in the hallway could hear the iron resolve hidden within in her voice. It was this resolve that shook Ichigo, as he became aware of how much both Unohana and Hitsugaya were risking so that he would be inducted into their society. They were not only personally training him, they were also placing their own reputations and standing against not only any naysayers in all of Soul Society but also against the government that ruled over them. This resolve also reached Hitsugaya who realized the confidence and respect that Unohana had bestowed on him.

"Then this will be left to the pair of you," replied Yamamato.

Hearing those words, the three who stood on trial bowed deeply before walking away. The door behind the three of them closed silently, leaving the other captains alone.

"Sui-feng! Byakuya! I want you both to dispatch units in the Living World who you trust would be strong enough to watch over Kurosaki Ichigo. Kurotsuchi! Analyze the information that was required from the Living World, prevent any future intrusions from Aizen and his cohorts," ordered the Captain-Commander. With this, the meeting was truly over.

* * *

When those words dropped from Urahara's lips, nothing followed it. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of air rushing by as it blew around the many sand dunes and mountains that lay around the group. On the face of each of the four that made up Ichigo's group, there was an identical look of surprise and shock.

Brown eyes wide, Orihime asked hesitantly in a quiet voice, "If Kurosaki-kun is going to become a captain, does that mean he will be living in Soul Society from now on?" Hearing her comment, the other two Karakura High School students cast their eyes downwards, unwilling to accept that fact that Ichigo would be leaving them.

"No I don't think that will be the case but it is a possibility. Kurosaki is still alive, unless he dies and his soul moves on to Soul Society, Seireitei can lay no claim to him. Following Central 46, a living person cannot live permanently in Soul Society and with the strict rules and laws in place I don't think anyone would kill Kurosaki just to take him away from the Living World." Waving his white paper fan beneath his face, the former captain smiled softly at the three of them.

"They're doing this because of Aizen aren't they?" asked Ishida.

"That is the main reason. There are other reasons such as finding replacement for the three former captains. I have no doubts that when the time comes for Kurosaki and you three to enter Seireitei permanently, the three of you will be accepted into the Gotei 13 with him, which is why they're training him now."

"That is true," murmured Matsumoto off to the side. "Souls who show high spiritual prowess often become shinigamis. If they don't and if they're deemed as threats to Seireitei, they will be imprisoned in the Nest of Maggots. I really shouldn't say if, when is a better word to use – when a potential shinigami refuse to follow their set path, they will be labeled as a 'Dangerous Element' and placed in confinement. Souls of Hollows and the Living often do not become shinigamis but souls of Quincies, Bounts, and Humans with high spiritual awareness occasionally do join the Gotei 13. But I have a question, why did Unohana-taichou request your presence here?"

"Unohana-taichou believed that the Kurosaki family will be in danger before the war, we are here at her request to protect them. Along with them we are also protecting Ichigo's body from any potential attack. To protect them they have been placed into a deep sleep, this will prevent them from being captured and used as hostages against Ichigo," replied the former 12th Division captain.

"But then why did you use that Ichigo gigai outside?" asked Orihime.

"It was to prevent Aizen from knowing that Ichigo was in Seireitei. It wasn't a well thought idea," replied Ririn. "But it would've been enough to convince the Arrancars. Because Urahara-san created it to imitate Ichigo, he was able to replicate most of Ichigo's characteristics. To many who didn't know Ichigo well, they would've fallen for the gigai."

"Unfortunately," continued Urahara. "When the gigai broke, I'm sure that anyone with any noticeable spiritual abilities would've seen that that 'Ichigo' was a fake. It is likely that Aizen knows now that Kurosaki Ichigo has not been in the Living World for a time if he hadn't already known."

"I'm sorry about that Urahara-san," quickly stated Orihime with her head slightly bowed down.

To her dismay, Urahara started laughing. "It's okay Orihime-chan, this would've happened eventually. Actually Ishida-kun almost destroyed the gigai before when he and Sado-kun both came looking for Ichigo. The two of them –"

A cell phone rang loudly.

"Sorry sorry." Matsumoto dug through her bags until she could find her pink cell phone. On the display flashed a certain name 'Hitsugaya Tōshirō.'

* * *

"Unohana-taichou! Hitsugaya-taichou! Kurosaki-san!" greeted Isane from where she stood with Hisagi. The two lieutenants had been waiting patiently for their return after they had dispersed. In that time, Hisagi had been given reports about the attack by Sho through the use of a Hell Butterfly. In his hands was a sheet of paper that was filled with a multitude of lines. Hisagi's eyes widened in dismay as they looked over the information that was revealed by those fragmented lines:

'Living World Barrier held; HISTORY 09:33.0.7 Access requested by Shibari Yohi (Class 3 Senior) Inari Shi (Class 3 Senior) Minazuki Naori (Supervising Assistant) Access granted. 09:35.24.0 Transit in place – 31 Bodies in motions. 10:07.3.0 Access requested by Kaname Tōsen (Exiled Captain) 10:07.3.1 Access denied 10:07.3.2 Override key [1.992] activated Access granted. 10:07.3.3 Living World Barrier down. 10:07.3.4 Transit in place – Hollow emergences. 10:07.3.5 Living World Barrier: LOCKDOWN MODE. Access denied…awaiting Captain-level request/Captain-level authorization… 10:09.4.6 Reverse gateway access requested by Shibari Yohi (Class 3 Senior) Inari Shi (Class 3 Senior) Minazuki Naori (Supervising Assistant) 10:09.4.7 Access denied.'

Shinō Academy often have students go on excursions into the Living World to further their experience when on duty – naturally they select and maintain training areas, allowing real Hollows to be used for training. Within each maintained area, bait is used to draw Hollows in – depending on the concentration of the bait, a varying number of Hollows can be forced to emerge within that location. Along with the bait a barrier is placed to prevent any Humans from knowing the existence of this plane, for the areas are mirrors of selected cities in the Living World. As part of Soul Society, the protection of Shinō Academy and its students were governed by the 9th Division. From this information Hisagi could see that not only was this attack premeditated but was also hugely successful because of his traitorous captain who knew how to bypass the security measures Hisagi had put in personally. Eyes cast down to the ground, he wasn't even aware when Isane had addressed their comrades. Underneath his black bangs, his grey eyes were dimmed with uncertainty and clouded with fatigue. It wasn't so much as the attack taking its toll on him but the confirmation that his captain, his former closest friend was now against him in every way, even using what he known about him to help Aizen attack Seireitei.

"Hisagi, are you okay?"

The 9th Division lieutenants steel grey eyes flashed upwards when the voice broke him through his thoughts of his former captain. What stood in front of him was Kurosaki Ichigo with chocolate brown eyes that gazed on him with concern.

"I'm okay. It's nothing."

"If you need someone to talk to, I'm here," replied the living shinigami. The two continued to look at one another until they were interrupted by Hitsugaya.

"Kurosaki! Hisagi! The three of us are to report to the Living World." Nodding to Unohana and Isane he led the three of them towards the Senkaimon that stood open before them.

"I will watch over the 9th Division as well as the 10th Division in your absence, Hisagi. I will also contact the other members of your group Hitsugaya in light of recent events." Unohana and her lieutenant both saw them off.

* * *

Hitsugaya and Hisagi stood together in front of the road that led to the Kurosaki Clinic. The two of them had separated themselves from Ichigo who unlike them did not require a gigai when existing in the Living World. The two shinigamis had adorned their bodies shortly before passing through the Senkaimon allowing Ichigo to pass through on to his world first. The two young men walked down the streets unaware of the stares and glances that surrounded them. Hitsugaya was wearing a black short-sleeved collar t-shirt with brown shorts that covered beyond his knees. Hisagi was wearing a puffy zippered down orange vest over a form fitting white top with navy jeans. Their clothes however weren't the main reason for the attention that they were given. Hitsugaya's hair colour and eye colour were not only strange and rare for someone of his size but they were also appealing and exotic to the people who passed them on the streets. For Hisagi, his tattoos drew their eyes – the strangeness and simplicity of his tattoos only added to his mystique, it was odd to not see an actual tattooed image but rather simple lines and two numbers. The people on the road kept their distance from them, it was odd to see the two of them walking down the road while people scrambled to get out of their way as though being pushed away by a circle. There wasn't anything spiritual about it, the Humans feared that they were part of a gang if not rebels – but this didn't deter their curiousity, charmed by their appearances, people strived to catch a glimpse of them as they walked down the street. This continued on until the crowd at long last thinned out, oddly enough as they got closer to the Kurosaki Clinic there were less and less people on the streets. The road barren, Hitsugaya took out his cell phone and punched in the numbers that would connect him to his lieutenant.

"Ring…ring…ring," went the dial tone as the connection was made.

* * *

Ichigo reawakened inside of his body within his room. His body had been where he had left it, resting comfortably on his bed. Getting up he headed towards the hallway, opening the doorway he was unprepared for what happened next. He fell straight through into a tunnel of darkness. He was unaware of the blue haired figure that watched him from afar. Clothed in white, the young man's teal eyes saw Ichigo from across town while a wicked toothy grin flashed across his face.

**Author's Note: Any comments, reviews, or constructive criticism will be appreciated. **


	12. Exile

**Disclaimer – These characters are the property of Tite for Nishio Sho,Shibari Yohi, Inari Shi, Minazuki Naori who I did create for the purpose of this story**

**Author's Note: Sorry to all the readers for the delay, I was really swamped with a ton of work for the past two years. Well I'm back for the time being so I hope to be able to finish this fanfiction at a much quicker pace and start a sequel. Thank you for your patience and I hope you're all well. BTW I really wished that someone had mentioned that my previous chapters didn't have the line to separate different scenes. **

Retsu Unohana along with her lieutenant Isane Kotetsu were two of the few shinigamis who stayed after the Senkaimon had closed on T ōshiro HItsugaya, Ichigo Kurosaki, and Shūhei Hisagi. With the order from Central 46 that the orange haired substitute could no longer be in Soul Society, let alone the walls of Seireitei, Many others would feel pressured and lost as their trump card against Aizen had been sentenced back to the World of the Living, unable to properly train and hone his power to the utmost capacity but that wasn't the case for the caption of the 4th division. Behind her cool blue hours lurked neither fear nor panic, there was nothing there but calm reserve as she weighed the options that stood before her. Aizen might have succeeded in forcing Ichigo out, along with Hitsugaya thereby stretching the already thin reserves of Seireitei even further apart but this didn't deter her one bit. She knew that with effort and with whatever little time possible, Ichigo would be ready when the time arrived and her along with all the remaining captains would be there behind him ready to protect him at all costs. Iron resolve in her heart, she turned away from the door that connected Soul Society with the World of the Living, her long braid of hair dancing in the wind softly as she, herself, headed to the training grounds to further her mastery of her power.

"Unohana-taichou, where are you going?" asked Isane as she trailed behind her captain.

Without neither stopping nor turning back to face her lieutenant, Unohana continued to walk. "We're going to the training grounds, we cannot only depend on Kurosaki Ichigo to brave our fights for us – our names, no our honour as members of Seireitei will not allow us to hide while we count on another to fight our battles."

"But we're medics first, we must tend to the wounded so that they can fight again." Isane was scared, she had never seen the woman that she called her captain this determined to fight. It was true that Unohana was fearful at times but this side of her lacked the calm façade that she always adorned, this time Isane could see that she wasn't hiding her feelings behind a sugary smile.

"Be that as it may, as medics that is our job that because we have expertise in healing, we are also more adept at using kīdō spells. Isane, when the time comes even a medic has to be able to fight – when all the soldiers are beyond repair, we as medical shinigamis must raise our zanpaktōs so that they fall in vain. Do you understand me?"

"I understand, taichou." Isane could see the rigidity with which Unohana held herself – she understood the graveness that was in her words that not only called on her as a medic but as a soldier too. Together they headed to the training grounds.

* * *

The World of the Living was utterly boring, thought one blue haired figure as he hovered over the Pluses and the Humans that inhabited the tiny town known as Karakura Town. Amidst white clouds that blended in with his white attire, he stood above them watching as they squirmed beneath him, like ants busy with their tasks unaware of the danger that hovered over them. To him everyone that resided in that little town were nothing more than insects that didn't deserve his attention, they weren't strong enough to be a challenge for him however he knew that wasn't entirely true. There had been one Human who was strong enough to challenge him but he wasn't anywhere close. He was lost in his thoughts when he felt a familiar reiatsu to the south. Focusing on source of that power, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez's eyes revelled with joy as he identified that the source of that particular golden-yellow reiatsu was none other than the orange haired shinigami who had scarred his body. He didn't know how he missed it before and he didn't care because the only thought that consumed him was that Ichigo had returned back to the World of the Living. Although he couldn't see him directly, he felt his reiatsu so strongly that Ichigo would never be able to hide from him. Just thinking about Ichigo made his scar ache with pain which only fueled his desire for vengeance. Using sonīdo, he raced through Karakura Town, leaving a gust of wind in his wake.

* * *

Wrapped in darkness, Ichigo was descending into the pit unable to stop himself – he knew that he needed to find the cause for this tunnel in his house. The wind roaring past his face made it difficult for him to open his eyes, he could only close his eyes and continue to fall although he knew that when he finally hit the ground he should be prepared for anything. His last thoughts were still replaying the scene that had fell just before him. He went from being a candidate to become one of the Gotei 13 captains to being exiled from Soul Society all in one day, not only had he been exiled but with him were both HItsugaya and Hisagi. His exile not only prevented him from being a captain for the time being but it had also singlehandedly removed the leaders of two divisions. He knew that it wasn't his fault for the way things were turning out but he couldn't deny that he had fallen into Aizen's plan perfectly. Fists clenched tightly with a scowl on his face, it was apparent that he was still angry with himself, angry that he had caused the death of those students, angry that he had forced both Hitsugaya and Hisagi in exile with him, and ultimately angry that he wasn't strong enough to protect what he needed to protect.

"Snap out of it Kurosaki."

Ichigo's eyes snapped open despite the rushing wind to look around him to find the origin of the voice. There was no one. He was still enveloped by the shadows. Despite the fact that he was clearly alone and that the voice hadn't come from an outside source, he smiled to himself. Even though he and the frosty captain of the 10th Division hadn't spent a lot of time with each other, it was certain that the shorter man was rubbing off on him. That voice sounded just like Hitsugaya, and it was right – Hitsugaya would never waste his time assigning blame, he would be planning how to counterattack and how to better himself so that he would never be a pawn again – this is what Ichigo had to do.

With renewed vigor he faced the wind in front of him, ready to face what was coming to him which at that moment was the sandy ground that was rushing to meet him.

* * *

"Taichou!" went Matsumoto's chipper voice as she answered the phone. "Why are you in the World of the Living, aren't you supposed to be with Ichigo-kun training in Seireitei?"

At the sound of her voice, everyone who sat around her shifted their glance towards her. They had just been informed by Urahaara that Ichigo was with Hitsugaya, why would the aforementioned captain be here in this world?

"Oh…yes I understand." With a flip of her hand, she hung up. "Urahara-san, please open the door for Hisagi-kun and Hitsugaya-taichou. There has been a new development."

With a curt nod, the former captain of the 12th Division lifted his hand as though to pluck something out of the air. Fingers outstretched, he clenched them around something invisible to the naked eye and pulled, a gust of wind blew around their little group before bowing upwards towards the entrance of their training grounds. The sound of the door unlocking could be heard minutes later.

"Matsumoto-san, what's wrong? You look worried," asked the timid Orihime.

And she was right, the joy and happiness that had been on Matsumoto's face had vanished. In one moment, she had transformed from the jovial woman with shopping bags surrounding her to the serious lieutenant in seconds. Her eyes shining with confusion and flashing with anger and her brows knitted tightly, she held her hand to her mouth, biting one of her nails with her clenched teeth. Upon hearing Orihime, she relaxed with a resigned expression, her hand dropping to her side as she faced the group with a dejected look in her eyes.

"Kurosaki-kun is no longer training to be captain, as of this moment he has been exiled from Soul Society and labelled as a Ryoka again."

Silence was the only thing that greeted her. No one said a word, even the wind died down as if the training ground itself was in shock at the news.

* * *

The door in front of the Kurosaki Clinic opened just a tiny sliver – for most people, it was hardly noticeable but for the trained solders of the Gotei 13, it was apparent enough. Hitsugaya and Hisagi were aware of the door's movement but they didn't make any attempt to open it. The two of them were standing a few feet apart from the other, neither looking into the direction of the other. Now that the two of them were alone without Ichigo and without any other shinigamis to observe them, it was hard for the two of them to talk to each other – given all that has happened between them.

"HIsagi," rang Hitsugaya's voice. "What is your relation with Kurosaki?"

Hisagi refused to look at him, he didn't want his emotions to be exposed. Talking slightly stiffly, he responded, "As I've told you before Hitsugaya-taichou, I see him as an ally."

The air chilled as soon as those words dropped from his mouth and Hisagi could see his breath form as small white puffs in front of him as he breathed. He knew that the captain of the 10th Division wasn't taking that answer as well as he would've liked. Risking a glance to his left, he could see that the white haired young man was staring straight at him with his turquoise eyes pointing daggers directly into his dark grey ones. Breathing a sigh, that was visible to both of them, he turned to face the young captain.

"I see Kurosaki-san as someone to look up to, as a captain, as someone I would gladly follow if he were my captain." Hitsugaya continued to stare at him, it was clear to Hisagi that he wasn't done explaining himself to him. As much as he wouldn't have liked to, he had no choice, he was still a captain of the Gotei 13 and for the most part, they had gotten along fairly well before Ichigo had arrived. "I accept what you said that he's not Tōsen-taich – that he's not Tōsen."

Histugaya continued to stare up at the young tattooed man. Even though Hisagi was standing perfectly straight and looking at him directly without a trace of amusement or irritation on his face, he knew that this wasn't the complete truth. His eyes narrowed slightly before he asked the lieutenant of the 9th Division, "That's not all, is it? You want Kurosaki to be your captain."

"Yes I do," was the curt reply. "I think it's likely that he will be my captain, just as the 9th Division aims to protect Seireitei, Kurosaki-san endeavors to use his power to protect the people around him. It wouldn't be much of a stretch for him to accept the duty of protecting Seireitei."

The cold air vanished and a small smile graced Hitsugaya's lips. "You still don't know Kurosaki as well as you think you do. As you just said, Kurosaki seeks to protect those around him, if he were to become the captain of the 9th Division, do you think that he would still be able to do that? Not only would he have to protect his friends and family in this world, but also Seireitei? That's asking for too much from a new captain who is still alive."

"If he were my captain, I would protect anything that he holds dear even if I have to watch over the Kurosaki family myself."

A silence ensued between the two of them, the white haired captain was stunned by the iron resolve that he heard in Hisagi's voice.

"As a captain of the Gotei 13, Kurosaki-san will have to eventually choose between the two. You know that this doesn't just apply to my division Hitsugaya-taichou. For you to say this, does that mean you are opposed to Kurosaki becoming a captain?"

The captain stared at him for a brief time before responding. "No I do not oppose the idea of Kurosaki becoming a captain, I will do as I have been ordered and train him to be a respectable captain within the Gotei 13."

"Then we're in agreement."

Without responding Hitsugaya strode to the entrance of the Kurosaki Clinic. Truthfully he didn't know what he wanted for Ichigo, he wanted him to be a captain by his side or if not this third seat within the 10th Division but at the same time, having gotten to know the orange haired substitute, he knew that it would pain him for him to choose between his family for a society that would always see him differently. With the dream that he had of Ichigo, he desired nothing less than to protect him at all costs – that was what he knew for sure, even if it meant to keep him by his side forever. It was for that reason alone that he couldn't trust Ichigo to be in the hands of Hisagi. He was sure of it, that the only reason he couldn't trust Ichigo to be partnered with Hisagi was because Hisagi wasn't strong enough to protect him.

Together the two of them entered the Kurosaki Clinic in silence where invisible hands grabbed them and dragged them down the same hole that Ichigo had fallen in not long ago.

* * *

The blue haired Espada stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide with shock and frustration as the prey that stood before him not long ago, had suddenly vanished. Ichigo's reiatsu had vanished as quickly as it had appeared, he had been about a few blocks away from the Kurosaki Clinic when it disappeared without a trace. It would appear that the orange haired substitute had vanished once again from the World of the Living or perhaps it was Grimmjow's desire for vengeance that led him here. With a scowl on his face, as his rage consumed him - he raised his arm to fire a cero at the Kurosaki Clinic. Red spiritual energy pooled in front of his hand in the shape of a sphere until it began to throb as the power within became uncontrollable. Ready to fire, Grimmjow released the energy that he held directly at the modest clinic a distance away from him but instead of going directly to the building, it was launched into the sky.

Ulquiorra Cifer had gripped him arm and raised it upwards. Without a word, he opened a Garganta and stared at the light blue haired Espada. Grimmjow didn't need any explanation, the meaning was clear, Aizen was looking for him.

**Author's Note: Any comments, reviews, or constructive criticism will be appreciated.**


	13. S-strawberry-kun!

**Disclaimer – These characters are the property of Tite for Nishio Sho, Shibari Yohi, Inari Shi, Minazuki Naori who I did create for the purpose of this story**

The sun was shining brightly in the sky which was barren without a wisp of cloud anywhere. The light that shown from above was reflected by the sand that encompassed the entire ground from as far as the eye could see. The white and yellow sand did nothing to cool the air above it had not only reflected the sun's ray but had also become heated with exposure. The only thing that stood out of place was a black circle that seemed to float in the air and leading from it was a stone staircase. In front of the staircase, a lone orange haired youth stood amongst the sandy dunes that surrounded him. Clad in black, the orange haired young man stood still as he assessed his surroundings, Ichigo had escaped the dark tunnel and landed in this desert not long ago. Looking around, it looked exactly like the training ground that was under the Urahara Shop. However he didn't have much time to ponder because suddenly two figures landed on top of him, effectively crushing him to the sandy ground. Pushing himself upwards, and throwing the two on him into the sand, he turned to glare at them. In front of him, lying on the sand were none other than Hitsugaya and Hisagi, both with a disgruntled look on their faces.

"Kurosaki, why did you throw up into the sand?" demanded the white haired captain as he got up and brushed the sand from his, black short-sleeved collar t-shirt and brown shorts while Hisagi got to his feet.

"You guys landed on my back, what else was I supposed to do?" shot back the orange haired substitute.

The two of them continued to glare at each other until Hisagi spoke up.

"Hey Kurosaki-san, do you know where we are?" As he brushed the sand from his clothes, he took in the peculiar surroundings. "Is this what Humans call 'basement'?"

The awkward silence that followed afterwards was deafening. The orange haired youth could only laugh while the frosty captain stifled a laugh that threatened to come out. Granted the snow haired captain wasn't quite familiar with that term either but he had a vague idea from Matsumoto – he was fairly certain that Humans didn't have an entirely landscape beneath their house. It was clear that Hisagi was getting embarrassed as Ichigo continued to laugh and Hitsugaya refused to meet his glance, his face reddened until he was forced to bow down to hide it away. Noticing this, the orange haired substitute with a smile on his face wrapped one of his arms around the tattooed shinigami's shoulders, causing the older man to look at him directly. This didn't go unnoticed by the 10th Division captain as he bristled at the sight of their closeness, his laugh dying in his throat.

"No, this isn't a basement. Typically Human basements are just like another floor of the house. This seems more like the training grounds by Urahara-san." Guiding Hisagi, he turned him around so he could see the entire landscape once again. "See? There are no windows that lead to the outside world."

The lieutenant of the 9th Division couldn't help but relax against Ichigo's hold, his normally stiff shoulders and demeanor seem to melt away at the Human's slight touch. He didn't know the reason why his body reacted this way but he was certain it was because he trusted and believed in Ichigo completely. Although the air got steadily frostier, neither of the two young men noticed that the white haired captain was glaring at the back of both of them.

"Taichou!" came from a voice behind them. The three turned their heads and they were greeted with the sight of Matsumoto running up to them with her orange flowing behind her as she ran. "Ichigo-kun! Hisagi-kun!"

"Matsumoto-san" greeted Ichigo while Hisagi bowed to her and Hitsugaya nodded to acknowledge her, however she didn't stop – she continued on her track until she ran straight into the youngest member of the trio and grabbed in a big hug, cutting off his air supply.

"Don't worry Ichigo-kun, even if all of Seireitei is against you, I will protect you. You are still my ally." Hugging him tightly, he struggled to breathe until he finally passed out.

"Matsumoto!" yelled her captain as Ichigo slumped to the sandy grounds with Hisagi at his side, carefully attending to him. The air became icy cold and the orange haired lieutenant could see some frost that began to form on her clothes. Both men were focused on Ichigo but as his subordinate, Hitsugaya had to properly discipline his lieutenant for what she had done. Ready to scold her, he opened his mouth – but no sound came out because she put her finger directly above his lips, thereby shushing him. Matsumoto could feel her finger turn numb in an instant from the icy breath that her captain breathed out angrily. Hastily she sought to excuse herself before she lost her finger to frost bite.

"Taichou, I was just having some fun!" Bending down to whisper in his ear, "Besides, I felt the temperature of the air drop long before I got even close to here – you're lucky these two didn't seem to notice, otherwise you would have some explaining to do. At least now, you can use me as an excuse for the sudden drop in temperature." Winking at her captain, she sat next Hisagi and concerned herself with Ichigo's well-being.

Meanwhile, Hitsugaya was shocked at his lack of control. He prided himself on being able to control his power and his emotions completely but it was clear to him that this time he wasn't able to hide himself at all. Had it not been for Matsumoto's timely arrival, he would have had to explain why his emotions caused the sudden chill in the desert air. Although this wasn't the first time that his emotions got away from him, he began to notice that it always had to do with Ichigo, something about that substitute shinigami caused his iron grip on his emotions to slacken. Noticing his error, the cold air dissipated – leaving behind nothing but the hot air from the scorching sun above.

* * *

"Unohana-taichou, can we stop training now? We've been at this for three hours." Clutching her shoulder, Isane wore battle scars from the training that she had to do with her captain. Her black shihakushō was riddled with dirt marks and small cuts as she had strived to avoid all of Unohana's attacks from the time when Ichigo left to nightfall.

"But Isane, I insist that we should keep training," replied Retsu Unohana in a cheery voice, with a smile on her face. Raising her hand to cast a kidō spell at her lieutenant, she stood her legs apart ready to lunge forward. "If Kurosaki Ichigo falls in battle or is occupied with his enemy, we must be able to hold our own."

Casting her spell, blue spiritual energy began to build up in front of her index and middle fingers, cracking ferociously as the energy sought to break away - when a Hell Butterfly flew past her outstretched arms. Sighing, she raised her hand upwards and released her spell into the clouds above. With a roar, the blue spiritual energy of her Sōren Sōkatsui spell pierced through the sky above Seireitei, dispersing the clouds and illuminating the night sky.

Flying into the outstretched palms of Isane, the Hell Butterfly rested on the tips of her fingers. Thankful for the interruption she gladly relayed the message to her captain, who bore no signs of their training. Even if all the kidō spells that she had used against her, Unohana didn't have a speck of dirt on her – not only had she evaded all of them but she kept her grace as well.

"Kuchiki-taichou and Suì-Fēng-taichou request to see you, in regards of whom to send to the World of the Living to protect Kurosaki Ichigo. They are waiting for us at the barracks of the 4th Division."

Nodding to her lieutenant, Unohana led the way with shunpo with Isane following closely behind. In mere seconds they were back to their division, entering through the Sōgō Kyūgo Tsumesho so that Isane's wounds could be treated, the pair walked past the corridors not without greeting every person they came across. As the captain and lieutenant of the 4th Division, they at all times needed to greet their patients as well as answer any questions that their subordinates may have. Much like the situation in the 10th Division, they were bombarded with questions until they were able to make their way to the waiting room. Before them, waiting patiently were the captains of the 2nd and 6th Divisions.

* * *

Ichigo awoke shortly after the temperature decreased, when he first opened his eyes, he was surprised to see three different pairs looking straight back at him. One pair was dark grey and knitted in worry, the one across was turquoise and wide and searching, while the pair in between was blue and staring down at him in amusement. Shocked at first, he sat up abruptly and barely missed hitting Matsumoto in the nose.

"Strawberry-kun, now that you're awake, let's go to the others." Dragging him to his feet, the orange haired lieutenant grabbed him by the arms and pulled him further away from the stone staircase, with Hitsugaya and Hisagi trailing behind.

"S-strawberry-kun?!" sputtered the orange haired substitute while the two shinigamis behind stifled their laughs at the sound of this new nickname.

"Yes, strawberry-kun, since Ichigo sounds like strawberry. Taichou, Hisagi, do you like strawberries?" Addressing the two men behind them, it was clear that mischief shown in her blue eyes.

Both men refused to look at her, they both looked down while a faint blush tinged their cheeks. This didn't go unnoticed by Matsumoto while Ichigo who had been too embarrassed to hear their response, refused to turn back.

"Aww you guys are no fun! Let's hurry up, we shouldn't keep the others waiting." Running ahead of the three blushing men, she led the way towards the makeshift campsite. Now that the four of them were running in silence, she had time to think about the predicament that they were all in, between the three of them something was up. It was clear to her that both her captain and her fellow lieutenant wanted Ichigo for themselves but for whatever reason, she wasn't quite sure what to label it. What she could say for certain was that the orange haired substitute had a positive impact on both of them. He made her captain more open and more emotional to other people while at the same time, he was breaking Hisagi out of the shell he built around himself after Tōsen's betrayal. It was a difficult choice for her personally because both were her friends and she didn't know Ichigo's feelings in regards to the matter. She silently chuckled at herself that she would think of things like this with the threat of Aizen steadily looming over them, ready to swallow both worlds whole. Shaking her head, causing her orange hair to tousle behind her, she continued to lead the team towards the others.

* * *

Walking through the Garganta, Ulqiorra and Grimmjow arrived directly into the main room where all the other members of the Espada were sitting with Aizen at the head of the table. The moment that they sat down in their respective seats, Aizen commenced the meeting.

"Now is the time to mobilize our forces."

**Author's Note: Reviews and comments are always welcome. Sorry, this has to be my shortest chapter. I can't really add any more to this chapter.**


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